Trump intervenes to offer his help to the candidacy of Democrat Pelosi

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats won the majority. Now, they just need a Speaker of the House.

The confrontation around Nancy Pelosi's candidacy intensified as Democrats left Washington for the Thanksgiving break after a troubling weekend in an otherwise triumphant week that had welcomed them with a historic class of newcomers to Capitol Hill and in preparation control Republicans.

President Donald Trump has decided to provide some help, saying Saturday that he could "render an extraordinary service" by gathering Republican votes for Pelosi's candidacy. Trump says that he really likes Pelosi and that he's looking forward to working with her, but that's an almost unheard-of proposal for the party that has relied on the California Democrat as the main villain during the election campaign.

"I would help Nancy Pelosi if she needed votes," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a study trip about the ravages caused by California's wildfires. . "I like her, you can believe it?" I love Nancy Pelosi, she is strong and smart, but she deserves to speak, now they play games with her, just as they will play. with me."

Pelosi, who was the first woman to speak and served from 2007 to 2011, was confident that she will take up this position again. Last week she rejected a suggestion that she could count on Republicans' support to help garner a majority in the required House in January, when Democrats take control of the House after this month's election victory .

"Oh, please, no, never, never, never," she says.

Trump went up here Saturday to tweet the name of a Republican congressman, Rep. Tom Reed of New York, who said that he might be willing to support Pelosi if it is safe. Committed to making changes that would deflect some of the power of the House leadership. Reed is part of the problem-solving group, whose members presented the idea as a demonstration of bipartisanship to help reform Congress. Reed praised Trump's tweet on Saturday, as GOP lawmakers considering Pelosi's approval were exposed to criticism when they ran for re-election in 2020 for daring to support a person their base had denigrated.

"The president understands that the Congress is broken," said Reed spokesman Will Reinert. Reed said for months "he is open to vote for anyone promising to reform the House of Representatives for the American people".

Pelosi met the group last week, but not with Reed or other Republicans.

"Chief Pelosi will win the presidency with Democratic votes," his spokesman Drew Hammill said Saturday.

Pelosi was to work on California phones during the break after meeting privately with newly elected Democrats, who could be critical to his candidacy. His opponents were just as confident of having the voices to stop his ascent.

For the moment, it is a group of disaffected Democrats, mostly led by men, at the head of the opposition. With an imminent test vote at the end of November and at least one potential Pelosi challenger ahead, Democrats are facing the uncomfortable prospect of internal feuding that the January 3 president's vote could last for weeks.

"I think chaos is good if it's productive – I think chaos is bad if it's too disturbing and it divides us too much," said Pramila representative Jayapal, D -Wash., Co-Chair of the Progressive Congressional Caucus, whose leaders were optimistic after meeting Pelosi last week.

The newly elected legislators said they had good meetings with the leader, but few said the discussions had changed.

"It's not about her, but about the will of a new leader," said elected representative Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, a former CIA member who defeated the Republican representative of the United States. Dave Brat tea party in the suburbs of Richmond. "There is nothing she can say, because the decision does not concern her."

The elected representative, Jeff Van Drew, of New Jersey, said he had had a "nice" meeting, but that there remained a "no" to Pelosi. He is one of 17 Democrats who signed a letter opposing her. Van Drew stated that they had discussed his districts and the committees on which he wished to sit. "I do not feel under pressure," he said.

Pelosi also met with Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, a potential rival for the presidency, who said the two had "a very open and frank discussion."

Fudge said that she would probably decide after the Thanksgiving break if she will run.

"To her credit, she wanted to know what my concerns were," said Fudge. "What she asked me was, basically, how we could get to a point where I'm supportive."

A question for some Democrats is what Pelosi means exactly when she says she intends to become a leader of the transition, a bridge to a new generation. She has been running the party for 15 years.

If this was the responsibility of the majority of the Democratic Party, Pelosi would win easily. They see her as a competent and experienced leader, ready to confront Trump and respect his priorities.

Pelosi, 78, became the first speaker after the Democrats took control of the House in the midterm elections of the second term of former President George W. Bush. With President Barack Obama, she played a crucial role in passing the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

With a narrow Democratic majority, which now has 231 seats in the 435-member House, Pelosi does not have much leeway to get the required 218 votes, assuming all Republicans vote against it as planned. Some races in the House remain undecided and the Democratic majority could increase slightly.

If lawmakers are absent or simply vote "present", it is possible that the calculations change in favor of Pelosi, which means that she would need fewer than 218 votes to get the absolute majority.

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Associate Press editors Alan Fram, Matthew Daly and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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