Pelosi: Trump Is Fiddling While ‘America Burns’

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) described President Donald Trump as “fiddling while Rome burns, while America burns” as a metaphor for Congress’ stalled negotiations on the next coronavirus relief package.

Pelosi said, “My caucus is standing together on this. I invite any ideas that they have. I welcome them. There are a number of letters for one aspect or another. I welcome that. But of course, we all want the negotiations to continue but not just what the administration wants, but what the country needs. Today marks the 100th day since we passed the HEROES Act, so-called to support our health care workers, our teachers, our first responders, our transportation, our sanitation, our food workers. And the White House says, what they say to us is why should one state help another state that may have needs? Well, we welcome them to the United States of America.”

She continued, “It has a strategic plan to crush the virus which they have ignored. Since we passed our bill, over 4 million more people have been added to the infection list because they paused. But over 80,000 more people have died because they paused. Could we have saved all of those lives and those diagnoses? Not all but many. So, again, when we go to putting money into people’s pockets, we have to do so, not in a bread and circus way, I’ll give you this, but I’m not giving you anything else. This is like ancient Rome. Trump fiddles while Rome burns, while America burns. Trump gives bread and circuses without the bread. So we’ll see the circus of his convention well introduced by the words of his own family as to his lack of character and integrity.

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