President Donald Trump needled Nancy Pelosi on Twitter Wednesday morning following the Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives, saying she deserved to the next speaker of the House and could help gain Republican votes.
Democrats, shut out of the House majority for four straight election cycles, captured the chamber last night, putting Pelosi in position to take the gavel again. Pelosi was the first female speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011.
"In all fairness, Nancy Pelosi deserves to be chosen Speaker of the House by the Democrats," Trump wrote. "If they give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes. She has earned this great honor!"
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1060162807960870913
Pelosi is nationally unpopular, and Republicans have often tied Democratic House candidates to her agenda to win races.
Dozens of those candidates pledged in their campaigns to not vote for Pelosi to be speaker if Democrats won the majority, setting up a potential leadership fight. Pelosi expressed confidence before the election of Democrats winning and her again being House speaker.
Trump-backed Senate candidates won statewide races in Indiana, Florida, Missouri and North Dakota, however, allowing Republicans to expand their Senate majority. The White House will face a split Congress for the first time, after two years of united GOP control of government.