By Lulu Garcia-Navarro
Nov. 9, 2024

Perhaps no Democratic politician has been a greater antagonist to Donald Trump than Nancy Pelosi. As the House minority leader and then speaker of the House during Trump’s first term, she participated in two Trump impeachments, memorably ripped up a copy of Trump’s State of the Union address after he delivered it and was targeted by an angry mob during the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6. Pelosi vowed to never allow Trump back in the White House for another term. By all accounts, she was a key voice in persuading Biden to end his campaign this summer and give another Democrat a shot at beating Trump.

We now know how that turned out. Vice President Kamala Harris suffered a stinging loss in Tuesday’s election. Republicans regained control of the Senate, and while the House has yet to be called for either party, the G.O.P. may very well control that chamber too. Trump made inroads across the country, including in safely blue states like New York and New Jersey. Now he is the president-elect with a sweeping mandate and promises to undo many of Pelosi and the Democrats’ legislative achievements.

In her first extended interview since the Democrats’ defeat, Pelosi sat down with me at The New York Times office in Washington on Thursday evening. While Democratic voters and politicians wring their hands over what happened, and what’s next, Pelosi seemed unwilling or unable to concede that her party had been handed a crushing electoral rebuke and rejected the criticism of the party’s direction.

First of all, obviously a huge disappointment for you and the Democrats. How are you feeling? Well, on the presidential level, I feel sad for the American people. The policies that have been put forth by the president-to-be are some that are very, shall we say, if his first term is any indication, it’s going to favor the very rich at the expense of working families. From a political standpoint, I’m very proud of Kamala Harris. I think she did an excellent job putting forth an agenda for the future — a person that has not only a to-do list but a substantial to-do list for the American people. And she gave us hope, with dignity and grace, and I’m very proud of her candidacy. The people have spoken, Donald Trump has won and now we will have a peaceful transfer of power in our country.