Speaker Emerita Pelosi on The Axe Files with David Axelrod

Tempe, Ariz. – On Monday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sat down with David Axelrod at Arizona State University as part of ASU's “Democracy at Work: A series with David Axelrod” to discuss her legacy of leadership and news of the day.  The conversation was also recorded and released as an episode David Axelrod's podcast, The Axe Files.

Listen to Speaker Emerita Pelosi's full interview here.

Read key quotes from Speaker Emerita Pelosi below:

On abortion rights in America:

• "So while [Trump] brags about reversing Roe v. Wade, he is now saying it's up to the states.  ... From our standpoint, he's talking about banning a woman's right to choose. ... We're seeing people coming close to death.  You can't say that – well, you know what, I always say to the Republicans, 'Why don't you get a – like a lesson in the birds and the bees?  Do you know how all this stuff works?  Do you know how this happens?'  This is not a subject of conversation only, it's a reality of life about how you have a baby, how you might miscarry.  And if you do, you need to have treatment for that.  But they don't allow that – I mean, this is very, very, very dangerous.  It's very dangerous.  It's cruel, and it just cannot stand."
• "The issue of a woman's right to choose is a freedom issue.  It's a democracy issue. ... It's about freedom of choice.  And it's a kitchen table issue.  I always talk about that.  You know, we're at the big room with a big table, the boardroom, the corporate room, the room in the Speaker's Office, the Cabinet Room.  The room with kitchen table: that's the powerful room in our country, where people make decisions about their lives, about their budgets, and what's going to be important to them, how they save or not for their children's education, how they – size and timing if you have a family, all of that.  Their health care costs enter into that.  Many public policy issues are affected by their decisions and our decisions at that kitchen table.  And a woman's right to choose is a kitchen table.  So it's an economic issue.  It's a freedom issue.  It's a respect for women issue."

On the war in Ukraine:

• "We must win in Ukraine.  Democracy is on the line in Ukraine.  [Speaker Johnson] knows that.  Now, of course, there is a Putin caucus on the Republican side of the aisle.  History, not politics.  There's a Putin caucus.  They like Putin.  ‘That's good, actually.’  And, and it's scary.  In fact, the Chairman, a Republican Chairman of the Intelligence Committee in the House said yesterday, was in the news yesterday, that the Russian propaganda has taken over the Republican side of the aisle.  So in any event, we have to win for what it means to Ukraine, but what it means to the countries surrounding Ukraine, some of them NATO, some of them not, all of them targets of Putin, and they know it.  And also democracy.  Democracy is on the line there.  So I think the Speaker appreciates that and knows that.  We just have to come up with something."

On the Motion to Vacate:

• "This is about the integrity of the House of Representatives.  And I told John Boehner when he was Speaker, and I said to extend it to Paul Ryan, you can't let – back to our old subject, but when John Boehner was Speaker, he lost, we beat him in a vote to save Planned Parenthood.  And the Republicans were furious with him, and they said they were going to oust him.  And I said, you know, 'We're not letting you get ousted because we won on Planned Parenthood.  It has nothing to do with you.  It has everything to do with the integrity of the House.'  But he said, he said, 'Okay, okay, okay.'  But then he said, 'They're going to do this to me every week.  I'm out of here.'  He walked right out the door.  He walked right out the door the day after the Pope came.  He stayed for that.  And then he walked right out the door.  But he just left.  It's their problem on their side of the aisle.  I can't psychoanalyze what that is.  But I will say that the – it would be interesting to see how many Republicans really go along with that, because we have a nice rapport, but the Republicans wanted Donald Trump for Speaker.  And they got him – completely in touch."

On the Israel–Hamas War:

• "Of course, we're all concerned about what's happening to the Palestinians.  Many of us have been for a two-state solution for years, for decades, and disagree with Netanyahu.  I mean, I think he's terrible.  But Joe Biden has this money for the Palestinians, has always been for the two-state solution to give the Palestinians the dignity of their own state, which of course, Netanyahu opposes."
• "I've said this to Netanyahu over the years: 'I don't know whether you don't know how to make peace, you don't want to make peace, or you're afraid of peace.  But you could be doing so much more instead of just throwing red meat to the crowd, you know, which is what what he did. ... I think that he's interested in one thing, his own survival.  And that's it."

On the state of Congress:

• "The difference is, are these people patriots or not?  You have differences of opinion, and that's correct.  You say what you believe, what you know, what your experience is, what you represent, your district, your name – your job title and your job description are one and the same: representative.  So of course, you're going to have different points of view, and that should be respected.  But this – once it stops being a different point of view, vis-à-vis our democracy, and turns into a Putin caucus in the Republican side, it's a different story."

On former President Trump and January 6th:

• "This is a very sick situation for 'what's his name.'  He and Netanyahu have a lot in common about their self preservation and the rest.  But January 6th was a terrible day.  A terrible, terrible day in our country.  Assaulting the Capitol, this beacon of liberty to the world ... assaulting our Constitution.  This is the day that we confirm, certify the Electoral College vote for President of the United States.  Taking that down, taking down our – assaulting our democracy, our Constitution, our Capitol and the rest.  And this guy is going off saying that they're hostages.  No, they weren't hostages."