WATCH: Nancy Pelosi Snaps At Reporter In Finger-Wagging Meltdown

Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) briefly lost her cool at a reporter questioning whether she and Democratic leadership have lost control of their members amid a protracted government shutdown and pressure from the ignominious “Squad.”

The kerfuffle was prefaced by a statement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) inviting U.S. Senate Democrats to visit with her and listen to why the progressive lawmaker believes her party should stand firm in the face of a federal freeze that could last days or weeks.

During a media scrum, Pelosi responded to a “thought from the Republicans” that “AOC is directing this” shutdown, not Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the reporter started.

“Why are you saying such a ridiculous thing?” snapped Pelosi with a dismissive hand wave.

“I’m just quoting what AOC said: Go to her office directly,” the reporter replied. “Do you think there’s any credibility to that?”

Furrowing her brow, Pelosi gruffly shot back, “She is not directing this. She’s wonderful, she’s a… a team player and the rest of that.”

“You started by saying ‘Republicans saying that she’s directing this,'” she continued. “She is not. Hakeem Jeffries is.”

The former House leader cited Jeffries’ “experience” and ability to unify the caucus, calling AOC “an articulate person for her point of view.”

WATCH:

Despite the vote of confidence, Jeffries fared no better in a face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump hours before the shutdown went into effect.

In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, the president trolled Democrats by releasing a photo showing him pointing and laughing at the House minority leader after offering him a diet Coke and a red hat that read “Trump 2028.”

The moment of levity broke an otherwise serious discussion over the terms of funding the government, where Republicans saw their final offer of a short-term funding agreement rejected by near-unanimous Democratic opposition.

Central to the disagreement are cuts to healthcare coverage afforded to low-income Americans under Obamacare plans. Republicans have countered, accusing Democrats of seeking to subsidize healthcare for illegal immigrants by leveraging the ambiguous status of migrants caught in limbo as the federal government rescinds or challenges their asylum requests.

Trump’s dig at Jeffries followed an earlier AI-created video he released where the Bronx Democrat was shown with an oversized mustache and sombrero while Senate Minority Leader declared that “woke trans bulls**t” has left voters dissatisfied with the Democratic Party.

On MSNBC, Jeffries lit into Trump for posting a “bigoted” caricature of him right as the U.S. approaches a midnight funding cliff.

“It’s a disgusting video, and we’re going to make clear, bigotry will get you nowhere,” he told Lawrence O’Donnell.