Getty House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is coming under some heavy criticism after she showed off her freezer full of ice cream during the coronavirus outbreak. The moment came on The Late Late Show with James Corden, when Pelosi appeared on video conference from her home for the Show & Tell segment.
She said, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if ice cream were not invented,” showing Corden how much ice cream was stashed in her freezer. The speaker also showed off her candy and chocolate supply.
The full clip is available here:
After the episode, Pelosi followed up her appearance with a tweet of the clip, captioning it: “We all have found our ways to keep our spirits up during these trying times. Mine just happens to fill up my freezer.” The video has been viewed 1.7 million times so far.
We all have found our ways to keep our spirits up during these trying times. Mine just happens to fill up my freezer. #LateLateShow
The Speaker Received Significant Backlash for the Ice Cream Freezer Reveal on the Show
Pelosi received some criticism for the move, with users pointing out that people they know are struggling to put food on the table.
One user wrote in response to Pelosi’s tweet: “imagine getting paid by taxpayers while having a networth of millions during a time when people are out of food & medicine to show the public you thankfully have a basket & freezer full of chocolate for a ‘catholic’ holiday my god people, we have GOT to turn this right side up.”
Another wrote: “Your two refrigerators probably cost more than the average person makes in a year. You can’t relate to people actually needing to get back to work.”
Steve Guest, rapid response director for the GOP, said: “While Nancy Pelosi sits in her ivory tower in San Francisco, eating $13 dollar a pint ice cream out of her $24,000 fridge, she is cheering on Democrats for blocking coronavirus relief aid that has so far been distributed to 1.3 million small businesses that is about to run out.”
Pelosi’s Move Angered Some People on the Political Left as Well as the Right
People all over the political spectrum seemed to take offense at Pelosi’s move.
Mehdi Hasan wrote: “Millions of Americans are waiting for crappy one-time 1200 dollar checks that Congress passed before they went on holiday, and the Speaker is on a late night comedy program showing off how much ice cream she has stored in her freezer. Why are the Democrats so bad at politics?”
Journalist Glenn Greenwald answered: “Her two huge refrigerators by themselves cost more than many people make in a year. It’s so revealing that the politician Dems adore most is one of the richest members of Congress. Pelosi has been so rich for so long that she can’t see how tone-deaf this is. It’s her normal.”
Michael Sayman answered Pelosi’s tweet with the simple line: “Stuff like this is going to cost us the election in November.”
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, also responded to Pelosi’s video, but with a more positive message:
He wrote: “You have great taste, Speaker Pelosi.”
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