Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), in an interview that was released on Thursday, defended her vacation to Hawaii over the holidays in midst of a partial government shutdown.
Pelosi spoke with "Today" host Savanah Guthrie on Wednesday about taking over the speakership again and having to work with President Donald Trump to resolve the shutdown.
"The president took a swipe, I think, as recently as today, saying that you went on vacation to Hawaii during the shutdown. Now, you had said before the shutdown that he was being quite cavalier and maybe the shutdown will give him more time to golf, but in the end it was you that took a holiday," Guthrie said.
"I observed the Christmas holiday for a few days, and I cut in half the time I would have had," Pelosi responded.
The Washington Free Beacon reported last week that Pelosi vacationed in Hawaii during the government shutdown.
Pelosi, who has put blame squarely on President Donald Trump for the current government shutdown, was spotted Thursday vacationing in Hawaii at the Fairmont Orchid resort, where room accommodations range from $899-a-night for a standard room to $4,899-a-night for the presidential suite.
During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump appeared to chide Pelosi for being in Hawaii while he was in Washington, D.C. waiting to hear from her on how they might work together to end the shutdown.
"Is that a cheap shot?" Guthrie asked.
"It's not important. It's totally unimportant, but the fact is we all stood ready and told our members we'll have 24 hours notice for all of us to be where we need to be," Pelosi said. "And the president may not know this, but Hawaii is part of the United States of America. Maybe he doesn't realize that. I don't know where the president observed the religious holiday of Christmas. Do you?"