Pelosi: 'Morbidly obese' was taste of Trump's 'own medicine'

 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she called President Donald Trump “morbidly obese” because he's put down women for ir weight. And besides, she suggested, president could lose a few pounds himself as coronavirus bears down on nation's capital.

“I gave him a dose of his own medicine. He’s called women one thing or ar over time, and I thought he thinks that passes off as humor in certain cultures," Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference. "I was only quoting what doctors had said about him, so I was being factual in a very sympatic way.”

For record, president is obese, but t morbidly so. Pelosi on Monday called Trump “morbidly obese.” He responded by dismissing her as “a waste of time.”

Pelosi's level of sympathy is unclear. Even as virus ravs Americans and U.S. ecomy, two are barely speaking to each or.

y have sparred since beginning of Trump presidency and more sharply since Pelosi ascended to speakership in 2019, for second time. topics have ranged from historic — a government shutdown and Trump's impeachment — to playground-quality name-calling and who has last word.

But really, it's always been about who has more power, a commodity never more critical than during a pandemic that has killed more than 92,000 in U.S. and left more than 36 million people looking for work. spread of coronavirus, which poses a greater risk of death for older adults and people with health problems, is still

On that, re was little progress Wednesday. Pelosi's $3 trillion bill, which passed House along party lines last week, got a chilly reception in Republican-controlled Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., dismissed it as “unserious and so far left.” It took on rules, McConnell ted, governing marijuana policy during pandemic. He's ted, too, that House is out of session this week, while Senate is in Washington.

Pelosi, meanwhile, sent a letter to colleagues Wednesday morning triggering a 45-day period in which members can vote by proxy to limit spread of coronavirus.

Asked about Trump on various topics, Pelosi several times referred to Trump's habit of showing disrespect toward women. examples predate 2016 presidential campaign. A 2006 People magazine article, for instance, quoted him as calling comedian Rosie O'Donnell “my nice fat little Rosie.” A decade later, re was release of “Access Hollywood” tape, effort to muzzle Trump's onetime paramours and his description of porn actress Stormy Daniels as “horseface.”

Despite those details, Trump won votes of about 39% of women in 2016, compared with about 52% of men, according to Pew Research Center.

His conflicts with women persist as vember election draws near. Recently, he's sparred on live television with female journalists who cover White House. And he referred to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as “that woman from Michigan” — a critical presidential battleground state.

In an aver of AP-RC polls released so far in 2020, 39% of women and 46% of men said y approved of how Trump is handling his job as president.

Pelosi returned to those mes several times during her news conference. At one point, she repeated:

“ comments he makes about women. comments he makes about women. So inappropriate.”

She lamented double standards. On unfinished rescue pack, Pelosi ted that Republicans went first in proposing previous, massive version, which she said contained only GOP's priorities. When she puts forward one with Democratic priorities, her move is cast as “partisan,” she said.

And she resumed her criticisms of Trump. On Wednesday, Pelosi cast him as a child who comes in house “with doggy doo on his shoes.” And she described him as a “confabulator,” a word that in some contexts means someone who fills in gaps in kwledge or memory with made-up stories.

“But you kw what?” she finished. “Forget about him.”