Pelosi and Schumer claim Trump 'ultimately was a child' during his administration

Misty Severi

December 16, 08:51 AM December 16, 09:15 AM

Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer claimed former President Donald Trump was a "child" and that he was in need of a "family intervention."

Schumer claimed that Pelosi was able to handle the former president during his presidency because of her instincts as a mother and Trump's alleged tendency to act like a child.

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"He ultimately was a child," Schumer told CNN in an interview Thursday. “I tell people Nancy instinctively knew how to handle Trump because her first 35-40 years of life she raised five children."

However, Pelosi described the former president as insane and claimed he needed an intervention from his family during a joint sit-down interview with the outlet.

“I think there’s a need for an intervention by his family or something. I don’t think he’s on the level now,” Pelosi said.

The two also reflected on key moments of the Trump administration, including their first meeting with the former president and the events of the Capitol Hill riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Video released in October showed both Democratic leaders frantically calling for help after they were safely escorted away from the pro-Trump rioters who managed to flood the Capitol.

"For a while, cellphone service didn't work," Schumer said, adding that when he was able to get in touch with Jeffrey Rosen, the then-acting attorney general would not put the president on the phone.

Pelosi said they also reached out to military leaders and former Vice President Mike Pence for assistance.

"It's really a tragedy that they didn't send the National Guard sooner," Pelosi said.

The calls came three days after Trump debated replacing Rosen with loyalist Jeffrey Clark in order to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. However, Trump was told that if he did so, top Justice Department officials, including Rosen, would resign.

The joint interview comes as the duo prepares for Republicans to take back control of the House of Representatives in January, marking the end of Pelosi's tenure as the first female House speaker. However, she has not resigned from Congress and won reelection during the midterm elections. Schumer is remaining in his post as Senate majority leader after Republicans failed to flip the Senate and said Pelosi would remain an important ally in the House.

Both Democratic leaders supported a possible reelection bid by President Joe Biden in 2024, with Schumer claiming the president is doing "an excellent, excellent job." Pelosi said she believes that Biden has a "great vision" for the country and has a great understanding of the challenges people face.

“The vision, the knowledge, the strategic thinking is all here,” Pelosi said, pointing to her head. “The empathy is from the heart. And I think he’s a great president.”

The statements also come shortly after a CNN poll found little support for a 2020 rematch between Trump and Biden. Approximately 6 in 10 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want to nominate someone other than Trump in 2024, while 59% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they’d like to see someone other than Biden as the party's nominee, according to the poll.

Trump announced his third bid for the White House at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month, but Biden has not announced his candidacy for reelection.