Pelosi on criticism of leadership: ‘This is such a small item, it isn’t about me’

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday responded to critics who questioned whether she should continue to lead House Democrats, saying the fight “isn’t about me” but rather is about issues like healthcare.

“This is such a small item — it isn’t about me. Right now our fight is about the Affordable Care Act,” Pelosi said on “CBS This Morning.” “I’ve always had a challenge in the caucus right from the start.”

{mosads}Pelosi has been under fire by critics in her party who look to the recent special elections — in which Democrats lost to Republicans in four competitive races — as a further sign that it is time for new party leadership. 

The Democratic leader pushed back on the notion that she should step down.

“I’m a master legislator; I’m experienced in knowing institutional memory of the Congress,” she said.

The California lawmaker said the party did not choose the four special elections, which were all to fill seats vacated by lawmakers appointed to the Trump administration, and reasoned that they were an uphill battle for their party from the start.

“These are four races we would’ve never chosen to go into. They were chosen by Donald Trump. Four races where double-digit leads for the Republicans in previous elections. We picked up 70 points — 25 in one race, 15, 20 — like that in the four races. The people in those states are very happy because we pushed the Republicans very far back,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi also repeated that she might have stepped down had Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the presidential election rather than Trump.

“If Hillary Clinton had won, I might have gone home. With Donald Trump in the White House, with a Republican majority in both houses, no way,” she continued.

Despite Pelosi saying she is “worth the trouble,” some Democratic lawmakers are calling for her to step aside.

“We need leadership change,” Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) told CNN last week. “It’s time for Nancy Pelosi to go, and the entire leadership team.”