House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) is criticizing President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and personal values amid his handling of the protests over George Floyd’s death.
On Wednesday morning, Pelosi appeared on “Morning Joe,” where MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough recalled the series of events that led up to the president’s recent photo op outside of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
Scarborough noted, “Talk about that scene, if you will, where the president had peaceful demonstrators cleared, and attacked, and gassed, and members of the press beaten so he could go hold up a Bible at a photo op.”
When asked her opinion of Trump’s actions, Pelosi said that she believes the gesture highlights the “contradiction” and “inconsistency” in the president’s message and values.
“Well, it shows the contradiction and the inconsistency. If you’re going to hold up a Bible and stand in front of a church, your message should be consistent with that Bible and those values,” Pelosi said, adding, “And of course, it was not.”
See Pelosi’s remarks below:
Speaker Pelosi says Pres. Trump’s photo-op was an “exploitation” of the American people.
“If you’re going to hold up a Bible and stand in front of a church then … your message should be consistent with that Bible and those values, and of course, it was not.” pic.twitter.com/6Pe0b1ZLII
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 3, 2020
Pelosi’s criticism of Trump follows reactions from the Catholic Archbishop of Washington Wilton Gregory and Episcopal bishop Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Gregory slammed Trump’s visit to the church and his photo op in front of the historic Saint John Paul II National Shrine.
“I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree.”
Pelosi also noted Pope Francis’ reaction to the unrest in the United States. On Wednesday, he condemned George Floyd’s death at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department, as he described the unrest as “disturbing.”