Pelosi discusses her book, ‘The Art of Power,’ and voices confidence in Harris’ chances

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• Amna Nawaz:

  After nearly 40 years of working in the nation's capital, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has played a central role in some of the most consequential American events of the last two decades.

  And that is the focus of her new book, "The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House."

  Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, welcome back to the "News Hour." Thank you for being here.

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA):

  Always a pleasure to be here.

• Amna Nawaz:

  So you have said this new book, "The Art of Power," that it's not a memoir, but it does have a number of very personal, very intimate moments in it.

  It's also just a sweeping collection of big moments through your leadership, through American history, 9/11, the war in Iraq, the 2008 financial crisis. How did you arrive at these moments? What's the common thread?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Well, I actually — you said it well. It's not a memoir.

  But when I was in the leadership, I — these were four areas that I wanted to show our side, from the House Democratic side, where we were on the issue. So I intended to write this book a long time ago. I just had no time. So, by the time I wrote it, when I was no longer speaker and had the time to do so — people said, well, you have to write about January 6 and Trump, and you have to write about what happened to your husband.

  And so I have some other things there. But there are other subjects that I will write about Ukraine, I will write about climate, the climate issue and the rest, but that's for another book.

• Amna Nawaz:

  You talk about this in the book, about male colleagues discouraging you from seeking leadership, saying that there was a pecking order.

• And you write:

  "When the women members spoke out in favor of having a woman in the Democratic leadership, the same gentlemen said — quote — 'Why don't you just make a list of what you want to do and we will do it for you?'"

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Yes.

• Amna Nawaz:

  It's often said power is not given, that it has to be taken. So how do you do that?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Well, they also said at the time when I was running, who said she could run? Who said she could call me? Who said — SO — and all of this is in this century.

  We're not talking about something — this is in the 21st century. Yes. Well, it was just their old way of thinking, God bless their hearts. But the fact is, I said to them, I don't want you voting for me because I'm a woman, but I don't want you voting against me because I'm a woman. I just want you to show you what — why I think we can win back the House.

  See, the reason I ran is, I was — '94, '96, '98, we kept losing the House. And I said, I know how to win elections, I want to show with policy and the politics how we can serve the people.

• Amna Nawaz:

  When it comes to women in positions of power, do you think that America is ready for a female president today in a way that maybe many people believe we were not back in 2016?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Well, I think America is ready. I always thought — I mean, I never aspired to be speaker. But then when I wanted to be in the leadership, I thought I'd be number two or number three. And then I became the speaker, because I won the election and that was it.

  But I always thought we'd have a woman president before we'd have a woman speaker, because the Congress is a very male-dominated, marble ceiling kind of place, to break a marble ceiling. But I think we're very ready, and I think we will.

  I have — Kamala Harris is a person of deep faith, of great patriotism, personally of deep faith and patriotism. So I think, from a political, from a personal and from an official standpoint, she's prepared to lead us.

  (Crosstalk)

• Amna Nawaz:

  And now she has a new running mate who you know very well from his time in the House as well.

  What's your assessment of what Governor Tim Walz brings to the ticket in terms of how he complements Kamala Harris? Who is he bringing in who might have otherwise been a challenge?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  He complements her very well, in that he is patriotic. He has a sense of humor. He has a sense of duty.

  And he knows the issues. I mean, 12 years in the Congress, that's good preparation to be the vice president of the United States. And he's loved — beloved by the members of the Democratic members of the Congress — of the House — the Democratic House, even some on the other side.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Does this Harris/Walz ticket help downballot?

  I mean, I should point out, last time you were here was on election night in 2022, and you rightly predicted there would be no red wave. So I have to ask for your prediction for this year too. What do you think happens in the House? Do Republicans keep their majority?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  No. No, I don't think so.

  See, that night — and thank you for remembering — all these humma- hummas, Washington, New York, were saying, oh, they're going to — red wave, three to — 30 to 40 seats. I said, they don't even know what they're talking about.

  So we knew that we had real opportunity, and we came very close, except we lost five seats in New York, and that's the amount of votes we lost by. So this time, we will win them. I have no quite doubt about it, and it's all — of course, we felt confident before what happened the last three weeks, but, after that, and since this new campaign, members are even more encouraged.

• Amna Nawaz:

  That change in the ticket came after a series of events, one I know that you have been asked about ad nauseam, which was the interview you gave on "Morning Joe," which is a show we know the president watches, and you said it was up to President Biden to decide if he was going to run.

  That if turned into a turning point of sorts. And I know you have said that you never intended to even talk about that in the interview, but you did just say in a recent interview to "The New Yorker" that you would never been impressed with his political operation, and you said: "They won the House, bravo, but my concern was this ain't…"

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  The White House.

• Amna Nawaz:

  The White House, correct.

  "But this ain't happening," is what you said. You were worried that a decision had to be made of some kind. So is it fair to say, even if you were fielding worries from everyone else about the ticket, that you yourself had your own concerns that Biden was losing to Trump?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Well, I thought that he could beat Trump, but there had to be a different approach than what we were seeing recently. God bless them for winning the White House and that, but, in this race, in a different set of realities that were out there, that the lack of communicating what he did as president, one of the most consequential presidents of our time.

  But as the campaign was unfolding, I thought that justice wasn't being done to him as to how everything was being presented. So it was his decision whether his campaign would change or accelerate the pace or whatever, or there would be a change in the candidate. And that's the course that he chose.

• Amna Nawaz:

  You have talked about you have known him for so many years, for decades.

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Yes, I love him.

• Amna Nawaz:

  You love him. You have said this repeatedly. My understanding is you haven't spoken with him since he ended his campaign. Is that still correct?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Yes, but that would not have been unusual. That's only three weeks.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Yes.

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  We're not talking about that much time.

  Our whole family for three generations, my husband, Paul, and I, our children, our grandchildren, all love Joe Biden, yes.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Mr. Biden also recently talked about his concern about more political violence if former President Trump does lose this next election.

  Are you worried about that as well?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Of course.

  This is a president who, as president — a person, as president of the United States, instigated an insurrection against the Constitution, against the Congress, against the Capitol, the beacon of democracy to the world, to desecrate, to defecate, to disgrace the people who worked there, to treat them with scorn and the rest of that and danger.

  So, certainly, we don't trust him to be responsible in that transition.

• Amna Nawaz:

  That political violence, of course, landed on your doorstep when your own husband was attacked in your San Francisco home.

  You start the book with that story. And it's clear that it still has such an incredible impact to this day on your family. How much does that day still loom over you, your work, your family today?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Well, they didn't just land at our doorstep. They came inside of our house. Imagine invading the privacy of your home in a very dangerous way.

  "Where's Nancy? Where's Nancy?" — just what they were saying in the Capitol on January 6, coming for me. So it's something that was horrible for our family, the physical damage still to be completely recovered from, but trauma that will be with us for a long time to come.

  But part of it is also, we don't want other people to back away from their political or governmental participation because they have fears for their family. This is America. It's a democracy. We exchange ideas. We compete in ideas. That's what a democracy is about.

  So it is — we don't want anybody to back off any decision to go on. I have tremendous guilt because he was coming for me, and my husband paid the price. I'm very political. I take pride in that.

• Amna Nawaz:

  You still feel that guilt today?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Oh, sure. As long as my husband is in pain, I feel the guilt, but also just the trauma.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Madam Speaker, you have been at the table on some of the most consequential moments in American history. You have broken barriers in your own way. You have now overseen a generational transfer of leadership in the House as well.

  You have been doing this for almost 40 years. And you're running again.

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Yes.

• Amna Nawaz:

  What is left?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  It will be 40 years at the end of this term.

• Amna Nawaz:

  What is left to do? What's on your list?

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  Well, first, we just have to — we start where we are. We have to win the election, and we make a decision to win.

  When you make a decision to win, then you make every decision in favor of winning, decide to own the ground with your mobilization to get out the vote, a decision to have a bold, progressive message that is non-menacing, that addresses the kitchen table issues of the American people, a decision to have the resources, the money to do these two things.

  And the most important decision in all of that is the candidate. And a decision has been made as to our candidate. The president and vice president, we made. We're very proud of that. Now we have decided to put one good day in front of another, to mobilize, to message and to also — also, I have my three no's, no wasted time, no underutilized resources and no regrets the day after the election that we could have done more.

  Some elections are just a few votes difference in a state makes a difference. I always compare it to the Olympics, since we're in the season. Gold, silver, bronze, happy to be Olympian, like within one second, within one second. These elections are that close.

  We have to all do our part to win, and that's what we intend to do. So that's my purpose for running this time is to be sure to be in place and fortified to do — to help. We want the candidates to be themselves. That's what they have to be. They have to be themselves, be ready, take pride in who they are.

  And that's that. But we have to help them get across the finish line. That's what's important to me right now, make sure that he never steps foot in the White House again and that we have a House and Senate to support our Democratic president and vice president.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, thank you so much for coming by. It's been a real pleasure speaking with you.

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi:

  And my pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for talking about "The Art of Power," my book. Thank you.

  (Laughter)