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Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined María Teresa Kumar on MSNBC’s AM Joy to discuss the more than 100 days since the House passed the Heroes Act, the cancellation of election security briefings for Congress and other news of the day.  Below are the Speaker’s remarks: 

 

María Theresa Kumar.  Joining me now is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Good morning, María.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.   Good morning, Speaker.  So wonderful to see you today.  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  My pleasure.

 

María Theresa Kumar.  I wanted to have the conversation specifically about all this disclosure, the fact that Donald Trump, Speaker, does seem to – he seems to want to stall this election.  He's encouraging the voters to vote twice.  He's making sure that the intelligence – you don't get the intelligence briefings live.  What does that signal to you?  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  What it signals is that he's engaged in fright and fear, as usual.  And what we're saying to people is, ‘Do not pay any attention to what he is saying.  He wants to discredit your vote.’  We understand what he's about.  We intend to mitigate for the damage that he's causing.  And we're doing so with an aggressive Get Out The Vote.  

 

But also, to point out what is at work here, not only is the President engaged in activities which could be unlawful and voter intimidation and the rest, but he has people like Facebook – and I thank you and Mr. Velshi for what you showed this morning, because it is in their business model to make money off of things that may or may not be truthful.  That's what they did in the 2016 election.  They knew that money, rubles that were coming from Russia, and they didn't pay any attention to it.  So, we have to understand, again, some things, the social media is a force for good but it's a double edged sword and in this case a sword against democracy.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  Speaker, I'm glad that you brought that up.  Oftentimes, Facebook says that political advertising is just, merely 1 percent of the revenue, when in fact 1 percent translates to over $600 million.  It's not small.  In that, when you talk about spreading misinformation, I want to talk about also how Putin oftentimes tries to use this idea that by attacking integrity of the election it actually ensures that people may not vote.  Do you think that the President is telegraphing something very similar here?  He's trying to do voter suppression by questioning whether someone's vote will be valid?  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Yes, indeed.  I think that's exactly what his purpose is.  Is to say, ‘Why should you vote?  Your vote will not be voted as cast.’  It's, again, a tactic on his part that must be ignored.  Leader Schumer and I are writing to our colleagues about this very subject, that again, undermines the legitimacy of our elections.  And it's in Putin's style.  And Putin likes to discredit democracy, ours or others around the world, and the President is being an accomplice in that in what he is saying.  

 

So, it is – this is glorious for us.  In under 60 days, we'll have the election and have the results.  And we want to let people know they can vote and not have to risk their health in order to cast their vote.  No matter what the President says about, ‘Vote twice,’ anybody should know that's wrong and he has been told that.  Even though his Attorney General, again, is a henchman of the President in that regard.  It pains me to have to say that on a prayerful Sunday morning, but nonetheless, the facts must be faced.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  Speaker Pelosi, why does Putin want to interfere in our election?  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Well, again, I don't know what Putin has on the President politically, personally or financially.  We'll find out when we see the President's tax returns, but I do know that he has engaged in these kind of activities in other countries in order to discredit democracy, in order to discredit democracy.  And that our own President should be an accomplice to that just raises so many questions.  

 

But let’s not worry about him.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  I agree. 

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Let's just go forward in a very positive way about how we'll get out the vote, how we're going to make sure people know what is true.  Because what is sad about what's happening on the social media in this regard, too, is the opportunity it gives for those who show, engage in racist behavior and the rest to find comfort among themselves and then the, shall we say the powers that be in some of the social media companies who want power and money – and by the way, in terms of Facebook, what they want more than anything is no oversight, or no regulation and no taxes to pay and that's what they get with Donald Trump.  So, it's in their interests to have acted this way and to continue to act this way.  Most unfortunate for the country because it could be a – it has been a valuable asset in so many other ways, as Americans communicate with each other.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  And with people who communicate worldwide even if they have family off shores – 

 

Speaker Pelosi.  That’s right. 

 

María Theresa Kumar.   But I do think that it's something we'll explore later on in the hour.  I wanted to ask you, because I'm part of the National Election Crisis Task Force.  I joke, ‘I do so that not everybody has to.’ But one of the things that's been of our concern is this idea that Donald Trump will want to declare the election on November 3rd, recognizing that many ballots won't arrive in a lot of precincts until after that date.  What can we expect?  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Well, I think that we should expect the worst from the President, but we are preparing for the worst and the best.  I think we should figure out all of the angles he may want to play to undermine the legitimacy of the free and fair election and then, again, engineer back from that.  

 

So, one of the thoughts that is out there is that he will declare victory on the basis of the people who voted that day and that's why he's discrediting in advance any vote-by-mail, which he has engaged in and which the Republicans encourage people to engage in.  The – it's so sad.  You know it’s sad for our country – 

 

María Theresa Kumar.  It is.  I think – 

 

Speaker Pelosi.  But what's real sad, if I may, María, what is sad is that the Republicans in the Congress of the United States see the President undermining our democracy, our democratic process and they remain silent, if not supportive, of what he's doing.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  So, how can Americans prepare?  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Well, again, the most important thing to do is to vote.  And we’ll, again, the right-thinking people of any party and, you know, I indict the President and the Republicans in Congress for refusing to help us to make the elections work – vote-by-mail, the money that we want to have in the coronavirus legislation because it is a health issue so that people don't have to go to the polls or stand in line for hours risking their health.  

 

But again, it's – we have many initiatives and some are very nonpartisan, as is appropriate, to encourage people to ask for their ballots, to get their ballots in, to vote as early as possible.  Because, frankly, with the manipulation of the postal system that the President is also engaged in, they may try to delay the receiving the ballot and the ballot be received back to the authorities who will be counting the votes.  

 

So, he's trying everything: Russian manipulation, which he invites; undermining the Postal Service, which he encourages; misrepresenting the validity of vote-by-mail.  It's a horrible situation that we find ourselves in.  But you know what?  We don't agonize.  We organize.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  That's right.  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  We go out there and we organize.  And on this Labor Day weekend, I'm especially encouraged to not agonize, organize and unionize so that we can have a fair economy.  Because that is the purpose of the election, to make things better for the future.  Whether it's to save our planet, save our – save the economic well-being of our families, whether it is the health and well-being, as the President is in court trying to crush the ACA instead of crushing the virus.  We have a lot at stake at this election, not least of which is our democracy.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  Speaker Pelosi, you also brought up this whole idea of how we need to recover.  You mentioned the package that you're talking about, the Heroes Act you passed back on May 15th and languishing at Senator Mitch McConnell's feet.  Talk a little bit about these unemployment numbers we’re seeing.  For the very first time, we are seeing people standing in food lines across socio-economics.  The paycheck you used to make makes absolutely no difference.  

 

What are you doing right now to ensure that the American people try to get back on track during a time that seems to be the most devastating economic recession that we have ever experienced in our lifetime?  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Well, as you said, over three months ago, on March 15th – excuse me, on May 15th, we passed the Heroes Act and it addresses many of the same challenges that America's working families face.  We have in there significant funding for food insecurity.  Millions of children in our country facing food insecurity.  We have had it before, it's exacerbated by the virus.  We have funding in there to help people pay the rent, Republicans have zero funding for that.  They have next to nothing for food security.  But the fact is – is that right now, America's working families are concerned about sending their children to school.  If we're going to make it safe for kids to go to school or to open our economy, we must crush the virus.  

 

For some reason, because the President does not believe in science, does not accept science and does not believe in governance, he doesn't want to act upon the science, we're in the situation that we were in.  Since we passed the Heroes Act, the number of people who have died has doubled because Mitch McConnell pressed, ‘Pause.  We're not doing anything.’  Now, could we have saved all of those people?  Not all, but many.  The number of people who have been infected has grown by the millions.  

 

So, we have, again, when we come back this – Members will be coming back to do committee work this weekend, to vote on it the following week – we have to make sure the public knows how we can solve this and why the Administration is standing in the way of crushing the virus.  Again, they started with calling it a hoax, denial, distortion, delay and here we are.  It's such a tragedy for our country.  But there is an answer: science, science, science and science.  And that's where we should be following that path, including accepting a vaccine.  

 

We're all hopeful and prayerful for a vaccine.  We don't want it one day sooner than it is ready, but not one day later.  And for this Administration to politically interfere and say it should go faster, if and when the virus – excuse me, the vaccine has gone through the process of the FDA for approval and it has the acceptance of the scientists, the green light from the scientists and the green light from the Science Advisory Board, that will be a wonderful thing and hopefully it will be soon.  

 

It's interesting that the leadership of the companies that are engaged in pursuing the search for the vaccine are all pledging not to promote or market a vaccine that has not properly been approved.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  They're doing their job, being diligent.  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  I think that’s a giant step forward.  A giant step forward.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  It’s a huge step forward.  And I want – I know we're running short on time, Speaker, but I did want to ask you specifically around Donald Trump's alleged remarks that were reported in The Atlantic, talking about our military in disparaging ways, saying that they were ‘losers.’  What does that – what does that say to you?  

 

Speaker Pelosi.  It breaks your heart.  And let me say this because he's denying, he said he called Melania to say how sad it was – called home to tell her how sad it was, when she was actually on the trip.  So, he doesn't even have his mind straight, but nothing unusual about that.  

 

Here's the thing though.  I will say this, because this is my personal experience.  I took a large delegation last year to the 75th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy.  Something – we were all so proud.  We went there to praise our veterans, to honor them and the number gets smaller and smaller each time we go.  

 

But in preparation for that, there were some interviews in front of the cemetery, overlooking the water, in front of the cemetery.  And when they asked me if I disagreed with the President on anything, I said I never criticize the President overseas.  I save that for home, but I do not ever criticize the President.  

 

But what I learned later, and this is what is important, is that the President sat there in front of that cemetery and dishonored that sacred ground by engaging in political anti-rhetoric against some of us who were on the trip, including me.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  I recall that. 

 

Speaker Pelosi.  I don't care what he says about me, but I do care that he says it in front of our deceased men – at that time, men mostly – men in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  So, again, whatever he says about this article and that article, we know that he dishonored them and it's on the record and MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell.  

 

María Theresa Kumar.  Thank you, Speaker Pelosi, for your patriotism.  Thank you for joining me.

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Thank you, thank you.  Good morning.  Lovely to see you.  Thank you. 

 

María Theresa Kumar.  Always lovely. 

 

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