WASHINGTON—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she was confident there would be a peaceful transition of power after the upcoming presidential election despite President Donald Trump’s refusal a day earlier to make the same commitment.
“You are in the United States of America and it is a democracy,” Pelosi said in direct response to Trump’s comments. “So why don’t you just try for a moment to honor your oath of office to the constitution of the United States?”
On Wednesday, in response to a question at a news conference, Trump said he would “have to see what happens” in the election before committing to a peaceful transfer of power, again falsely claiming that mail-in ballots are not secure.
Republicans have begun weighing in on whether they think Trump will allow for a peaceful transition of power, with most saying that they have little doubt that, if there is indeed a change in leadership, it will be calm despite the president’s words.
“I think there will be a peaceful transfer of power,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday afternoon. “I think the real concern in terms of the election is that Joe Biden has been explicit that if he doesn’t win on Election Day, he intends to challenge the legitimacy of the election.”
Sen. Mitt Romney, one of the few Republican politicians that has publicly criticized Trump in the past, also said a contentious transition of power was unlikely.
“I don’t think there’s any scenario of that nature that’s realistic,” Romney said on Thursday, “and I am absolutely confident that there will be a peaceful transition if there’s a new president, or, if not, why, we’ll have a continuation.”
During her weekly news conference, Pelosi also criticized Senate Republicans and the White House for moving forward on a Supreme Court nominee before Election Day, saying they are planning to use the Supreme Court to take aim at the Affordable Care Act, especially its coverage of pre-existing conditions.
“With that statement,” Pelosi explained, “what they’re saying is we have to fill that seat so that we can overturn the Affordable Care Act. People have to know why this matters to them in their own lives.”
Pelosi said overturning the ACA would directly impact 150 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, young adults on their parent’s plans, women and others.
She also emphasized the many ways that House Democrats have tried to pass more coronavirus relief options, but have been thwarted by Senate Republicans and the White House since the outbreak began.
Pelosi urged Americans to stay resolved as they vote in one of the most contentious elections in recent U.S. history.
“Forty days until the election, 40 days,” Pelosi said. “Forty days for the American people to give voice to their concerns and have an election, which is about the peaceful transfer of power.”