Saturday’s The Weekend on MS NOW offered Nancy Pelosi a predictably puffy platform, with little or no challenge from the hosts, to promote sweeping and alarm-raising claims about U.S. politics.
That's including the specter of 2026 elections failing to happen, inflammatory allegations about federal enforcement actions in Minnesota, an unsparing juxtaposition of two Republican figures, and the suggestion that all Europeans would welcome Democrats taking the House in 2026—a victory she claimed to be an “absolute certainty.”
Pelosi, speaking from the Munich Security Conference, claimed that European leaders are deeply worried about whether the United States will even hold its elections in 2026!
PELOSI: They’re most concerned about the election. Is it going to happen? I assured them . . . We will win, that we will have an election, it will be safe.
Rather than push back, co-host Eugene Daniels took Pelosi’s premise and amplified it to include domestic concern as well. "There are a lot of people [here] that have a lot of concerns about that right now."
Treating the possibility of canceled or disrupted elections as a legitimate concern for Americans was presented without skepticism, context, or evidence by the hosts.
Pelosi also used the appearance to draw a sharp contrast between Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Munich speech, which she said was “well received,” and Vice President JD Vance’s speech last year, which she called “really insulting.” That contrast went unchallenged.
Perhaps Pelosi was sincere, but she might also have been trying to stir the Republican pot. If Rubio and Vance were to face each other in a ’28 primary, the Vance ad writes itself: “Marco Rubio: Endorsed by Nancy Pelosi.”
MS NOW Lets Pelosi Claims Ride : Election Doubts, ICE 'Assassinations,' Vance Snub pic.twitter.com/kT9dLs3RJS
— Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) February 14, 2026
Democratic-aligned groups have in recent cycles attempted to shape Republican primaries by elevating certain GOP candidates they believed would be easier to defeat in a general election. Yet MS NOW’s hosts showed no interest in exploring whether Pelosi’s praise carried similar strategic implications.
Later in the interview, Pelosi escalated her rhetoric about Trump interfering with fair elections.
PELOSI: Don’t put anything past [Trump] as we saw on January 6th when the President of the United States personally incited an insurrection in our country. He’s capable of any bad thing.
That broad characterization of President Trump was allowed to stand without clarification.
Perhaps most striking was Pelosi’s assertion about enforcement actions in Minnesota:
PELOSI: Two of their community were shot dead, assassinated, by this administration.
Such a serious allegation — implying politically intentional killings, not a split-second struggle — passed without follow-up or demand for context.
Pelosi also claimed Europeans would find a Democrat House victory in ’26 and a Speaker Hakeem Jeffries a “relief” and a “consolation.” Yet Trump and the GOP enjoy support in parts of Europe, including Italy, Poland and Hungary. Once again, no pushback from the hosts.
MS NOW provided an entirely uncritical arena for Pelosi’s narrative to unfold — from existential election fears to unfounded accusations and strategic Republican snubs — without the challenges that conservative guests regularly encounter on the same network--on the rare occasions they're invited to appear!
Here's the transcript.
MS NOW
The Weekend
2/14/26
7:27 am ETJACKIE ALEMANY: While President Trump's policies are unpopular here at home, he's also rattling allies abroad. At the Munich Security Conference, Germany's chancellor warned the U.S. cannot go it alone, noting NATO membership benefits the U.S. as well as Europe. A short time ago at the conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. wants to preserve its alliance with Europe.
MARCO RUBIO: In a time of headlines heralding the end of the transatlantic era, let it be known and clear to all that this is neither our goal nor our wish. Because for us Americans, our home may be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe.
ALEMANY: Joining us now from Munich, House Speaker Emerita and California Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
NANCY PELOSI: My pleasure. It's quite a day here. Secretary Rubio's speech was well-received. It was a little bit condescending to the Europeans: we're willing to be with you as long as you agree on certain things.
But nonetheless, well received, and they were happy. Compare this to Vice President Vance's speech last year, which was really insulting. This was much better.
EUGENE DANIELS: Speaker Emerita, I'm curious what you're hearing from our allies and the folks that you're talking to over there at the conference about our domestic policy?
Because sometimes Americans, as things are happening here, whether it's what's happening in Minnesota or immigration writ large, we think that we're the only ones having that conversation. But I'm curious how our allies overseas, in the conversations you're having, how are they kind of taking in what's happening in our country right now?
PELOSI: Well, what they're most concerned about is the election. Is it going to happen? I said, you have parliamentary system, we have presidential. Parliamentary systems can call elections when they want or not. And presidential, in the history of our country, we've never deviated from having our elections on time.
And so I assured them, you can be certain of that, that Democrats will take the House of Representatives. And that gives them some relief about how we go forward. Because it's, you know, we had so many shared values along the way. They don't see it that way now.
But the prospect of a Speaker, Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, is a consolation to them as it is to all of us.
But I have given them absolute certainty that we will win, that we will have an election, it will be safe, and that we will have an agenda to go forward that they will be very proud of, that is consistent with our values for America's working families.
DANIELS: On the election, the president said that we will absolutely have voter ID, whether or not Congress gets on board or not. You have the DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, going down and helping to execute a search warrant to grab 20,000 2020 ballots from Fulton County. They are, you know, looking at, in Puerto Rico, looking at their machines. There seems to be a lot happening. But you are sure, and you are telling our allies, and I assume telling the American people that there might be shenanigans. But we will have an election in 2026 because there are a lot of people that have a lot of concerns about that right now.
. . .
PELOSI: You know what? We don't agonize. We organize. And we have litigation. We have lawyering in terms in addition to in the courts, but at polling places and the rest. We have legislation, and we're going to fight him on the SAVE Act for the voter ID. It's just not right. And there are many Republicans in the country who know it's not right because it's inconvenient for them as well as it is for married women in the country.
. . .
And really, you know, people are concerned they're going to send in ICE and the National Guard, this or that. Don't put anything past [Trump], as we saw on January 6th when the President of the United States personally incited an insurrection in our country. He's capable of any bad thing.
. . .
JONATHAN CAPEHART: Speaker Pelosi, to your point about people have to know, I'm just wondering your impressions of the people of Minneapolis and Minnesota writ large, their reaction to the president's ICE tactics on the streets of Minneapolis and in that state. Are you impressed by them? Are they a role model for the country?
PELOSI: Well, I'm very impressed by them. I'm sorry for them. I pray for them. Because two of their community were shot dead, assassinated, by this administration.
. . .
ALEMANY: Speaker Emerita, before we're out of time, I want to ask you about Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. When she first arrived in Congress in 2019, there were obviously some public tensions between you and her and the Squad over strategy, and the way that the Democratic party should conduct themselves and navigate the Trump administration.
She's recently emerged as a more prominent voice for the party. She spoke at the security conference. I'm not sure if you were able to catch her, but she talked about democracy and authoritarianism.
I'm wondering if you have been mentoring her or offering her any guidance as she's expanding her portfolio and taking a broader leadership role within the party.
PELOSI: No. I'm pleased with it. I'm glad she's here. You know, they canceled our House trip, the bipartisan trip. The Speaker canceled it like an hour or two before we were supposed to leave, but some of us managed to get here anyway.
All I said, and people say you have this tension. We didn't have any tension. All I say is, if you want to be a legislator and pass bills, it's important to have the votes to do it. It doesn't help to go online and criticize the people that you want to have because they're not as progressive as you are.
She's been a star, eloquent, forceful, and the rest, and she gets along very well with Hakeem Jeffries. They have a New York connection. But I'm so glad she's here and all the other members who are here....
ALEMANY: Do you think she should be running for, would you encourage her to run for a higher office, which is what a lot of the speculation is, that she's potentially setting herself either up for a Senate run or a 2028 presidential run?
PELOSI: Do you know how many times I've been asked that question about so many people, mostly Gavin Newsom here, because he was here as well. I always just leave those things up to people and when they want my help or my suggestion, they'll ask me.
