Live updates: Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is out - CNN

President Trump defended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi amid her dispute with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other freshman female Democrats.

He said Democrats have been “very disrespectful to Pelosi,” adding that the Speaker “is not a racist.”

Trump strongly defended Speaker Pelosi, saying, “I’ll tell you something about Nancy Pelosi that you know better than I do, she is not a racist. OK? She is not a racist. For them to call her a racist is a disgrace.”

Trump mostly pointed the finger at Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, saying, “She should not be doing what she’s doing.” He added that she's being “very disrespectful to somebody that’s been there a long time.”

What happened this week: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez suggested that Pelosi has been "singling out" freshman congresswomen of color — the latest charge in a growing rift between the leader of the party in the chamber and the high-profile progressive freshman.

Asked if she thinks Pelosi has racial animus or is racist, Ocasio-Cortez said unequivocally, "No, no, absolutely not, absolutely not."

Watch below:

Let's block ads! (Why?)