Nancy Pelosi has criticised Liz Truss for claiming the “world was safer” under Donald Trump’s presidency, saying the former Prime Minister’s words were “annoying”.
Pelosi, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, also said Truss, who spent just 50 days in No10, “doesn’t know what she’s talking about, once again”.
The former South West Norfolk MP, who lost her seat to Labour at the July 4 election, told the BBC in April: “I do agree that under Donald Trump, when he was President of the United States, the world was safer
“I think that our opponents feared the Trump presidency more than they fear the Democrats being in office.”
And on the News Agents podcast, produced by Global, hosts Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall asked Pelosi for her reaction to Truss view, which Boris Johnson “has alluded to as well”.
Truss’s predecessor claimed to the Sun newspaper in February that: “When you look back at Trump’s last term in office there is little doubt the world felt safer, calmer and more stable.”
He added: “Right now much of the world is craving the stability that goes with strong and decisive American leadership.”
Responding, Pelosi said: “I’d say she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, once again. Same thing with Boris Johnson. That’s what their philosophy is, you have to understand.”
“I don’t know that they’re as bad as Trump is… because he is beyond the pale of anything.”
Pelosi, 84, who is a key figure in Democrat politics, added: “This is not like we’re running, as I’ve said, against Bob Dole or Mitt Romney or George Bush – father or son. They’re patriots.
“We have disagreements on the role of government as you have between Conservatives and Labour and all that and that’s an appropriate disagreement to have.
“But to say the world is safer under Trump, who didn’t even know what NATO was, wants to weaken NATO, who doesn’t want to honour our mutual defence provisions of NATO.
“It’s annoying to hear people of some level of sophistication of public policy use the term… if they want to be for him be for him, that’s their right, but don’t say the world will be safer.”
Truss has been approached for comment.