House

Pelosi: Progressive Dem wing represented by Ocasio-Cortez is ‘like five people’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that the left flank of the House Democratic caucus represented by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is “like five people” in a Sunday interview.

Asked by Lesley Stahl about potential insurrections or pushback from the progressive wing of the party, Pelosi responded, “That’s like five people.” She also disputed that there was a distinction between herself and progressive Democrats, saying she herself identified as a progressive.

{mosads}When Stahl asked for Pelosi’s thoughts on the left wing of the party pushing initiatives such as “Medicare for all,” which Stahl said were “allowing the president to say you’re all socialists,” Pelosi noted the GOP made similar claims when former President Lyndon B. Johnson led the creation of Medicare in the 1960s.

“This is an ongoing theme of the Republicans,” Pelosi said. “However, I do reject socialism as an economic system. If people have that view, that’s their view. That is not the view of the Democratic Party.”

“By and large, whatever orientation [House Democrats] came to Congress with, they know that we have to hold the center. That we have to go down the mainstream,” she told Stahl.

Pelosi also said she respected the office of the presidency too much to rule out any cooperation with President Trump. “He’s not worth the trouble of saying you’re so horrible we can’t work together. No, we need to work together,” Pelosi told Stahl, echoing earlier comments that Trump was “not worth” impeachment.

Asked by Stahl about earlier comments she made referring to Trump’s “assault on the Constitution,” Pelosi expressed confidence the country’s system of government could outlast Trump. “Well, I think our future is strong enough — built on a strong foundation to withstand everything, including the current occupant of the White House. I don’t think for two terms, though.”

Tags Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Donald Trump Nancy Pelosi

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