Pelosi vs. Trump: Combatants in a historic impeachment showdown
Their rivalry will test them and the nation.
By SUSAN PAGE/TNSSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reacts alongside Vice President Mike Pence as he applauds U.S. President Donald Trump during his second State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 5,(photo credit: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS)
WASHINGTON — They have been the oddest of couples, the President and the Speaker. Or, as Nancy Pelosi might cast it, the leaders of two co-equal branches of the government.Now, with her decision to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into him, Speaker Pelosi and President Trump are combatants in a historic showdown that will test the nation and shape the legacies of two of the most consequential American politicians of current times.For the next few months, it will be Trump v. Pelosi.Since Democrats regained control of the House in the 2018 elections, Pelosi has approached Trump with respect for his office, blunt candor in their private consultations, and scathing rebuke in her public comments. "Mr. President, please don't characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader of the House Democrats, who just won a big victory," she scolded him at their first meeting after the midterms. That exchange solidified her reputation as the most formidable Democratic counterpart he has faced since moving into the White House.The president has approached her with what seems to be a wary respect. At one point, he even offered to provide Republican votes to help her win the election as Speaker — she didn’t need them — although now he is complaining bitterly about the course she is taking as a "new Witch Hunt!"They are members of the same generation; she is 79, he is 73. He is the undisputed leader of a Republican Party that has been recast in his image; she is the nation’s highest-ranking Democrat and the party’s de facto leader, at least until a presidential nominee emerges.But it is hard to imagine two leaders with such different styles and such different strengths and weaknesses.'AKA your worst nightmare!'Trump is mercurial and impulsive, conferring with friends, family and friendly talk-show hosts but relying most of all on his own gut. He is not a detail man; fact-checkers often conclude various statements he makes are untrue. He draws energy from raucous rallies in which he routinely speaks for more than hour and basks in the adoration of his most fervent supporters.Pelosi is meticulous, disciplined, controlled. She has held a disparate Democratic caucus together by being the most careful of listeners to other members of Congress, asking their views and understanding their motivations. She is more skilled at cutting deals behind the scenes at the Capitol than with delivering big speeches on the stump.
