Pelosi Blasts Trump, Republicans Over Discussion Of Dem Party Future

During a Saturday appearance on PBS NewsHour, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took aim at President Donald Trump’s recently released budget proposal, criticizing it as a departure from American priorities—while offering familiar Democratic talking points that drew accusations of double standards.

Joining host Geoff Bennett live from the Reframe Festival in San Francisco, Pelosi opened with a sweeping rebuke of the Trump administration’s fiscal blueprint.

“The budget that the president put out that we just are reviewing now is one that is really a shame,” Pelosi said.

“A budget should be a statement of our national values. What is important to us as a nation should be reflected in that budget. It should be a budget of investing in our future for our children and the rest,” she added. “And if you review the budget that the President put forth, he cuts education. Nothing brings more money to the Treasury than the education of the American people. Early childhood, K-12, higher education, post-grad, lifetime learning for our workers.”

Pelosi went on to argue for increased funding in medical research, claiming it offers not only lifesaving potential but long-term savings.

“The best dollar you can spend in the federal budget, I do believe, is basic biomedical research,” she said. “The biblical power to cure, to save lives, to save funds for families who are confronted with illness and the rest. The list goes on and on. And why? Because he says he has to cut so that he can be fiscally sound—at the same time as he’s giving enormous tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country.”

Despite her framing, the tax policies pushed by President Trump and the GOP affect over 87% of American workers. The plan includes proposals such as eliminating federal income taxes on tips and exempting certain government benefits, not just breaks for top earners.

As for education cuts, Republicans have long supported trimming the Department of Education’s budget, citing declining academic performance and growing influence from powerful teachers’ unions. Under President Trump, GOP leaders argue that federal dollars should be better spent or returned to states.

Later in the interview, Pelosi reflected on Democratic strategy and messaging under the Trump administration.

“You have to prioritize carefully and make the distinction so the American people can see what impact this has on their lives,” Pelosi said. “Carefully prioritizing and at the same time show the narrative, again, with some specific issues, show the narrative thematically of what he is doing to our country.”

She added, “So again, we always have this debate: whether we go for opportunity, security, all of those things, or specific pieces of legislation—we do both.”

Turning to the party’s direction, Pelosi said it was time to focus on the new generation of Democratic leadership, praising their efforts despite electoral setbacks.

“But this isn’t about me. This is about our new leadership. It’s about our courageous members of the House,” she said. “We would have never had those bills without their courage. And too bad that the public — when somebody doesn’t get a message, it’s not—it’s not because of them. It’s because of us who are delivering the message that we did not deliver it clearly enough.”

She concluded by defending Democratic policies under the Biden administration, claiming they were focused on lowering costs for average Americans.

“Everything we did was for working families, to lower the cost for them of health care and housing, you name it,” she said.

However, Pelosi’s claim that prices are continuing to rise under President Trump has been directly contradicted by multiple reports from mainstream outlets.

In March, USA Today reported that “inflation eased more than expected to a five-month low… as gasoline and used car prices tumbled.”

Axios noted: “Inflation was notably cooler than expected in March,” with energy prices plummeting and rent increases slowing.

The Associated Press confirmed a similar trend: “U.S. inflation declined last month as the cost of gas, airline fares, and hotel rooms fell, a sign that price growth was cooling even as President Donald Trump ramped up his tariff threats.”

Even The Wall Street Journal reported: “Consumer prices declined month-over-month in March for the first time in nearly five years, a welcome development for inflation-weary consumers…”