Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) scoffed Wednesday at the White House comparing President Trump’s visit to St. John’s Church in Washington to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspecting World War II bombing damage in 1941.
Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany likened Trump’s controversial photo-op, which came after peaceful protesters were aggressively pushed out of Lafayette Square, to actions from Churchill and past U.S. presidents.
“Through all of time, we have seen presidents and leaders across the world who have had leadership moments and very powerful symbols that were important for a nation to see at any given time to show a message of resilience and determination,” she said, “Like Churchill, we saw him inspecting the bombing damage. It sent a powerful message of leadership to the British people.”
“I think they’re hallucinating,” Pelosi told CNN when asked about the comparison as she joined a crowd outside the Capitol protesting police brutality as part of the nationwide demonstrations that have broken out following George Floyd’s death last week in Minneapolis police custody.
Pelosi wore a mask and was accompanied by a staff and members of her security detail as she walked through the crowd.
Democrats widely criticized Trump for the photo in front of the church and the force used to clear the protests.
McEnany said the decision to clear Lafayette Square was made by Attorney General William Barr on Monday morning “long before” discussion about Trump’s visit to the church.