DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/NANCY PELOSI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The war of words between President Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi escalated in dramatic fashion on Thursday [5-23-19], with each leader questioning the other’s temperament and mental fitness in an extraordinary exchange of personal insults. The president, who has largely avoided direct personal attacks on the speaker, finally gave her a derogatory nickname — calling her ‘Crazy Nancy,’ after Ms. Pelosi had suggested Mr. Trump’s behavior was so erratic it required an ‘intervention’ from his family and staff…Their public feuding comes as Mr. Trump is headed to Japan on Friday [5-24-19] and Congress goes on a weeklong Memorial Day recess, ensuring that little will be resolved any time soon. But the collision was anything but accidental. Ms. Pelosi set out Thursday morning to pick a fight with Mr. Trump, three people close to her said, part of a strategy to unnerve a president who has defied the efforts of House Democrats to subpoena documents and summon witnesses to testify about his conduct.”
–Glenn Thrush and Michael Tackett, “Trump and Pelosi Trade Barbs, Both Questioning the Other’s Fitness,” The New York Times online, May 23, 2019