Oct 1, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Pelosi: Trump's behavior at debate is "what keeps me up at night"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a press briefing Thursday that President Trump's comments about the far-right Proud Boys and his refusal to commit to accepting the election results at the presidential debate are the kinds of things that keep her up at night.

The big picture: Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress called for Trump to explicitly condemn white supremacist and far-right extremists after his comments sparked outrage. On Wednesday, Trump denied knowing the group and said he has "always denounced any form" of white supremacism.

What she's saying: "As speaker over time, people have said to me, 'What keeps you up at night?' The night of the debate, you saw what keeps me up at night," Pelosi told reporters.

  • "To see a president of the United States in a debate with a potential president of the United States, refuse to condemn white supremacists, refuse to commit to a peaceful transfer of government, to ignore the climate crisis as our country is burning and our coasts are hit by fierce storms, to be there to crush the Affordable Care Act instead of crushing the virus."
  • "What keeps me at night is what we saw is authenticity on both sides of the stage. The president authentically a bully, Joe Biden authentically a decent person who cares about America's working families."

Go deeper: Trump's debate cleanup

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