Pelosi celebrates likely Biden win after years of personal clashes with Trump

‘Jobs, jobs, jobs,’ speaker says, saying voters want a ‘big jobs bill’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “clear” that former Vice President Joe Biden has won the presidency even as votes are still being counted in a handful of swing states, contending he would have a “strong mandate to lead.”

The California Democrat and the GOP president have clashed for four years, and have not spoken in over a year. She ripped up her printed version of his last State of the Union address, and he regularly insults her as both senile and corrupt. She took several subtle jabs during a Friday press conference, including referring to the Democratic presidential nominee as “the president-elect.”

The general election has yet to be called for the former vice president, but she used her opening remarks to look towards his likely presidency.

“It’s clear the Biden-Harris ticket will win the White House,” Ms Pelosi said, also referring to his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris.

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Notably, the speaker – likely trying to give the likely incoming president a boost on Capitol Hill – said Mr Biden would have a “bigger mandate than John F. Kennedy.”

He currently as 73.6m votes. Mr Kennedy got 34.2m – but the country is larger now. Mr Biden has received more votes than any other presidential candidate in US history.

They have 264 electoral votes, six shy of the 270 needed to secure the White House.

Ms Pelosi previewed a possible Biden administration-House Democrats agenda, including a “big jobs bill” and a coronavirus relief package.

With the Senate possibly staying under Republican control, she and a potential President Biden would be negotiating with a possible Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“Jobs, jobs, jobs,” she said of what message voters sent during the election.

She also talked of improving healthcare, which will be a steep hill to climb with Mr McConnell and his caucus in any potential negotiations to either tinker with the 2011 Affordable Care Act – or a new plan to replace it if the Supreme Court nullifies the law known as Obamacare.

About a coronavirus relief bill, Ms Pelosi rejected some Republicans’ post-election call for a smaller bill than she has insisted on for months.

“That isn’t anything that we should even be looking at,” she said. “They haven’t even agreed to crush the virus.”