Nancy Pelosi on the Upcoming Midterm Elections

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: You are being challenged not just from the Republicans, as they always do, but from within your own party. You are being challenged by younger generation who say it’s time for new blood, it’s time for new leadership. You know, we don’t necessarily want Nancy Pelosi as the speaker even if we win back control of the House.

NANCY PELOSI: Well, I do agree that it’s time for new blood and we should move on. And if Hillary Clinton had won and this Affordable Care Act was protected I feel very proprietary about that. I was happy to go my way. We didn’t know who would come forward but that’s up to the caucus. They give me the honor of serving and it’s up to them to choose who comes next. But to have no woman at the table and to have the Affordable Care Act at risk, I say, as long as he’s here, I’m here. So, 45. Not to be disrespectful but —

AMANPOUR: You’re referencing Trump, 45?

PELOSI: Yes. And so, yes. But I’ve always been opposed — I think there was one election for leadership that I was not opposed in. So, people like to get started on what they think comes next and that’s up to the caucus to decide. But I feel very comfortable about the support I have in the caucusand that I will be the speaker of the House.

AMANPOUR: So you’re definitely going to stand and you definitely think you’re going to win?

PELOSI: Well, I think it’s important for women to see as well because you can’t run away from a fight. You’re in the arena. So, when some people come forward and say, “Well, we should have somebody new.” OK. You’re in the arena. When the Republicans have such a poverty of ideas that the only thing they can put in their ads is I’m a San Francisco liberal who supports LGBTQ rights, I can take the heat. I don’t like implying that’s not a good thing, our San Francisco values. But I want women to know that this isn’t easy. Power is never given away and it always has to be fought for. And this is, again, a constitutional office and I feel very confident about the support of my colleagues as well as the fact we will win the election.

AMANPOUR: First and foremost, people are wondering whether this will be, I think you said early on, the beginning of the end, you know, if you win back the House, does this put this president and this administration in the hot seat in terms of accountability? You, on the other hand, have never really talked up the idea of impeachment.

PELOSI: Yes.

AMANPOUR: You didn’t want to do it for George Ww. Bush when people were saying, you know, the Iraq war, et cetera, and you don’t particularly want to do it now, if I’m reading you correctly.

PELOSI: Well, I don’t think that impeachment should be engaged in for political reason but I don’t think it should be avoided for a political reason. In other words, if the facts are there, then it takes us to a place. But that is not our priority. Our priority, again, unifying. Impeachment is a very divisive approach. Elections should determine who is in office. If the president has broken the law, he is not above the law. But that remains to be seen.