House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) used Donald Trump’s own words during the final presidential debate to congratulate Hillary Clinton on her performance, “from one nasty woman to another.”
During the final moments of Wednesday night’s debate, Clinton called for infusing more money into the Social Security Trust Fund. She knocked her Republican rival for avoiding paying taxes for as much as a decade, saying, “my Social Security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donald’s, assuming he can’t figure out how to get out of it.”
Trump, who had been relatively subdued during the first half hour of the debate, interjected: “Such a nasty woman.”
{mosads}Pelosi, the first female Speaker, joined in what quickly became a viral hashtag on social media to praise the first woman to become a major party’s presidential nominee.
“From one #NastyWoman to another, you were an inspiration last night, @HillaryClinton. -NP,” she tweeted.
During a Capitol press conference on Wednesday, Pelosi expressed enthusiasm toward the idea that Clinton, the Democratic nominee, could become the nation’s first female president.
“That she happens to be a woman is the icing on the cake. It’s just very thrilling and it will, I think, send a message of confidence to all Americans, especially girls and women, that any door is open to them,” Pelosi told reporters.
“I mean, president is much different from Speaker in terms of public awareness of it all. And then she will be the leader of the free world, this is not just an office in our country, it is leadership in the world, so it’s pretty thrilling.”
Clinton also attacked Trump for denying the recent sexual misconduct allegations against him by suggesting his accusers weren’t attractive enough to pursue.
“Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Nobody,” Trump insisted, which provoked laughter in the debate hall.