- Pelosi's experience as a mom helped her deal with Trump, Schumer told CNN.
- Pelosi said Trump and Schumer 'understood each other' because they're both New Yorkers.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's experience as a mother prepared her to "handle" former President Donald Trump, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
"Nancy instinctively knew how to handle Trump, because for her first, you know, 35, 40 years of life, she raised five children," Schumer said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper that aired Thursday evening. "She knew how to deal with children. And that's what helped her deal with Trump, because he ultimately was a child."
During the interview, Schumer sat down with Pelosi for a dinner of Chinese food with CNN's Jamie Gangel. The interview was the first Pelosi and Schumer have done together, and it took place at Hunan Dynasty in Washington, DC, where the duo have shared meals for years.
Pelosi is retiring from her role as speaker at the end of this Congress. She's known as a master tactician of the legislative process who's able to shepherd her caucus.
When Trump was president, several of Pelosi's confrontations with him went viral, including her sarcastic clapping during Trump's 2019 State of the Union Address, her ripping a copy of Trump's 2020 address, and her standing up and pointing at Trump during a Cabinet meeting.
Trump, in turn, would also mock the Democratic leaders, calling them "Chuck and Nancy" or "Cryin' Chuck" and "Crazy Nancy."
Pelosi praised Schumer during the CNN interview as being "masterful" in dealing with Trump, saying the two men had a special relationship because they're both from New York.
"They spoke their own kind of — they understood each other," she said.
Schumer reflected on the dispute he and Pelosi had with Trump over the 2018 government shutdown, which was the longest shutdown in US history. It happened after Trump demanded funding for the border wall between the US and Mexico. In the CNN interview, Schumer said he and Pelosi were able to get Trump to say that he would take ownership of the shutdown.
"She set him up, so I could go in for the kill," Schumer recalled.
Schumer also described his relationship with Pelosi as being like "brother and sister" and said he calls her more than anyone else, aside from members of his family.
He predicted that Trump — the only person to have officially announced his 2024 candidacy — would not be reelected president.
"The American people have gotten wise to him," Schumer said. "It took a little while, but they did."
Pelosi also cast doubt on Trump's reelection, saying his family should stage an "intervention."
"I don't think that we should talk about him while we're eating," she said.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.