House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said last week that Democrats should be ready to "Take a punch and throw a punch" in the political arena while discussing the 2018 midterms.
Pelosi participated in an interview at the Bentzen Ball in Washington, D.C. when she made the comment, according to audio flagged by the Republican National Committee.
"So the point is that what we are trying to do is just speak to them, not about where we disagree, but where we agree that they need to have a bigger paycheck and lower health care costs and that there voice should be stronger rather than a special dark interest money being spent," Pelosi said.
She went on to say that when Democrats "win," Congress will be "transparent," adding that legislation will meet the needs of people and that she will push for bipartisanship.
"We are not them. We do not act the way they do. But I do think that when you are in the arena, and somebody throws a punch, you better be able to take a punch and throw a punch," Pelosi said.
Pelosi's "throw a punch" comment prompted the interviewer, "Queer Eye" star Jonathan Van Ness, to react positively.
"Yes! Yes! Yes, I love that story. Yes!" Van Ness said.
Pelosi's comment echoes the rhetoric from several other Democratic leaders during the 2018 election cycle, including Eric Holder, who said "When they go low, we kick them"; Hillary Clinton, who said "civility can start again" when Democrats are back in power; and Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), who said there can be "no sleep, no peace" for members of President Donald Trump's cabinet. She also urged Democrats to harass Trump administration officials at restaurants, gas stations, and department stores.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) also recently said he wanted to "beat the living crap out of" his Republican opponent Patrick Morrisey, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
"You might have seen the debate the other night," Manchin said at a campaign rally. "I want to tell you something."
"It took every bit of my discipline not to beat the living crap out of them," he said to cheers from the audience of several dozen Democrats.