Trump tweets photo of Pelosi at White House meeting, accuses her of ‘meltdown’

by Brett Samuels - 10/16/19 7:14 PM ET

President Trump on Wednesday tweeted out photos from his contentious meeting with Democrats and Republicans on Syria, accusing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of having an “unhinged meltdown.”

Trump shared two photos from the meeting, which deteriorated after Democrats said the president derided Pelosi as a “third-rate politician.”{mosads}

“Nervous Nancy’s unhinged meltdown!” Trump captioned one photo, which showed Pelosi standing up at the Cabinet Room table and pointing at the president, who appeared to be exchanging words with the Speaker.

“Do you think they like me?” Trump tweeted along with another photo, which showed Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) with tense facial expressions.

Do you think they like me? pic.twitter.com/TDmUnJ8HtF

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2019

Nervous Nancy’s unhinged meltdown! pic.twitter.com/RDeUI7sfe7

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2019

The tweets came as the White House sought to push back on Democrats’ characterization of the meeting, where Pelosi said Trump had a “meltdown.”

The meeting was intended to focus on the response to Turkey as it carries out an offensive in northern Syria that has led to bloodshed and uncertainty in the region. Trump has dug in on his decision earlier this month to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria even as lawmakers in both parties have warned him of the consequences of the move.

Just prior to the meeting, the House passed a resolution in a 354-60 vote that rebuked Trump’s decision to retreat from Syria.

Pelosi and Schumer said they pressed Trump for what the plan would be going forward in Syria.

Schumer said Trump had no plan and that the president soon after began attacking Pelosi, even claiming that he hates ISIS more than she does.

A Democratic aide said that Pelosi got up to leave the room when Trump began calling her a name and was followed out by Schumer and House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) a short time later.

“It was obvious that the meeting was going to get angrier and more defensive. And we felt that the meeting was no longer a meeting in which we thought we would get useful discussion and results. And so we left,” Hoyer said.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham defended Trump’s conduct as “measured, factual and decisive,” and called Pelosi’s decision to walk out “baffling, but not surprising.”

“While Democratic leadership chose to storm out and get in front of the cameras to whine, everyone else in the meeting chose to stay in the room and work on behalf of this country,” Grisham said in a statement.

Shortly after Trump shared the photos, Pelosi’s chief of staff tweeted that she had changed her Twitter cover photo to the one showing her standing and pointing at the president.