- President Biden recently alluded to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in a speech about his budget.
- While watching the speech, Pelosi lamented to a reporter that Biden shouldn't have done that.
Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California — no longer the speaker of the House — recently watched President Joe Biden deliver a speech unveiling his proposed budget for the 2024 fiscal year.
The release of the budget is a largely symbolic gesture — congressional leaders will ultimately hash out how the government is funded amongst themselves — that's nonetheless an opportunity for the president to make his priorities clear.
During the speech in Philadelphia, Biden recalled the moment he was heckled during the State of the Union address for suggesting that Republicans wanted to cut Medicare and Social Security; Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia notably stood up and yelled "Liar!"
"When those folks were standing up saying, 'Liar! Liar! Biden's a liar!' That gentlelady from the state of Georgia, the mountains there," Biden said, prompting booing from the audience.
Pelosi, sitting in an office in the Capitol with Los Angeles Times reporter Nolan McCaskill, reportedly lamented that Biden shouldn't have made the allusion at all.
"He's going to raise her a million dollars by mentioning her name," said Pelosi.
Pelosi also cringed at Biden referring to former President Donald Trump as "the former president — and maybe future president."
"Oh, please. Don't even say such a thing," said Pelosi while watching the TV. "That isn't kidding. That's horrible."
Pelosi, in contrast to some of her Democratic counterparts, prefers not to allude to political opponents by name, especially Trump. At one point, she told the reporter to "just say she burped" when she accidentally mentioned Trump's name.
Earlier this month, Biden said Marjorie Taylor Greene is an asset for Democrats. "You know, a little bit more Marjorie Taylor Greene and a few more, you're gonna have a lot of Republicans running our way," he said at the House Democrats' 2023 Issues Conference.