President Trump hit back on Wednesday at House Democrats' suggestions that he had a "meltdown" during their meeting as he launched a personal attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Nancy Pelosi needs help fast! There is either something wrong with her “upstairs,” or she just plain doesn’t like our great Country. She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2019
Context: Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said earlier Wednesday that they walked out of the meeting with Trump on Turkey's military invasion after he suggested that there was no plan to contain the Islamic State, or ISIS, in Syria. They said he also attacked Pelosi in a "nasty diatribe."
Why it matters: Per Axios' Zachary Basu and Ursula Perano, Pelosi suggested that Trump was "shaken up" after the House voted overwhelmingly and in bipartisan fashion to condemn his decision to move U.S. troops out of northern Syria.
- Democrats and Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has been among Trump's most loyal defenders, have lobbed intense criticism at the president over allegations that he has abandoned the Kurds.
The big picture: It was the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Pelosi since House Democrats launched a formal impeachment inquiry. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Pelosi had "stormed out of the meeting" to make it "unproductive" and "political" in a moment of crisis.
- During the meeting, Trump called former Defense Secretary James Mattis "the world's most overrated general," a Democratic source familiar with the meeting's events told Axios.
- The White House said in a statement: "The President was measured, factual and decisive, while Speaker Pelosi's decision to walk out was baffling."
- Trump also tweeted a photo he captioned "Nervous Nancy's unhinged meltdown!," which the speaker later made her cover photo on her Twitter page.
Go deeper:
- Trump attacks Lindsey Graham for criticism of Syria policy
- Trump on Syria's Kurds: "They're not angels"
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
