Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she has every confidence Democrats will regain control of the US House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections, paving the way for Hakeem Jeffries to take over the presidency.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Pelosi argued that a Democratic victory would restore the institutional authority of Congress and reaffirm the House as an effective check on President Donald Trump.
“Hakeem Jeffries is ready. He’s articulate. Members respect him, he’s a unifier,” Pelosi said, expressing unequivocal confidence in her party’s current House speaker.
Asked if she could imagine any circumstances in which Jeffries would not become speaker if Democrats win the House, Pelosi was unequivocal. “No.”
Democrats see the gavel as an oversight tool
Pelosi suggested that a Jeffries-led House would move quickly to regain powers in Congress that she believes have been eroded under Republican control. Those, she said, would include control over federal spending and the power to demand transparency from executive agencies.
She said Sunday that a Jeffries-led House would have all the tools to push back against Trump, from controlling the purse strings to demanding information from federal agencies that are now keeping lawmakers in the dark.
“It’s hard to get something that he signs because of the issue that it is, but you can hold back some of the things that they can put forward,” Pelosi said.
She also raised the prospect of renewed accountability measures if Democrats regained the majority, and suggested that any future impeachment proceedings would be a result of the president’s conduct rather than party strategy.
“She also suggested that if Trump were to face a third impeachment under a Democratic majority, he would have no one to blame but himself.”
“Right now, the Republicans in Congress have abolished Congress,” she said. “They’re just doing what the president insists.
“That will end as soon as we have the hammer,” she said.
Who is Nancy Pelosi?
Nancy Pelosi is one of the most influential figures in modern American legislative history. First elected to Congress in 1987, she represented San Francisco for nearly four decades and became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007.
More than a decade later, she took the lead again, overseeing the passage of major Democratic priorities, including the Affordable Care Act under President Barack Obama. Throughout her tenure, Pelosi has also been at the center of repeated confrontations with Donald Trump during his presidency.
Pelosi, now 85, announced last month that she would not seek re-election, marking the end of a career in Congress that shaped Democratic strategy and the legislature for a generation.
Who is Hakeem Jeffries?
Hakeem Jeffries is the current Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives and is widely regarded as the face of the party’s next generation. Jeffries, who represents New York, replaced Pelosi as House Democratic leader and sought to consolidate support across the party’s ideological wings.
Known for his disciplined messaging and organizational skills, Jeffries has positioned himself as a consensus builder capable of leading a closely divided chamber. Pelosi’s endorsement underscores his status as the party’s presumptive choice for speaker should Democrats win a majority.
High-stakes US midterm elections
Pelosi’s remarks reflect growing Democratic optimism that next year’s midterm elections could reshape the balance of power in Washington. For Democrats, winning back the House would not only elevate Jeffries to the post of speaker, but also reinvigorate Congress’ role as an assertive counterweight to the White House.
As Pelosi framed it, the return of the gavel would mark a decisive shift. Democratic control, she said, would bring an abrupt end to what she described as congressional worship of presidential demands — and reopen a new chapter of legislative control in Washington.
