Nancy Pelosi says she’s against impeaching President Trump.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just sent shockwaves through the political establishment that could simultaneously create space for more bipartisan cooperation with Republicans while also aggravating her base of progressive lawmakers — especially those who came to power after the historic 2018 midterm elections.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Pelosi said she has no plans to impeach President Trump, telling the paper:

It’s an interesting political argument which essentially comes down to saying don’t take Trump seriously as a figurehead and instead focus all your energy on defeating his policies and eventually defeating him as a candidate in 2020.

However, impeachment is also a driving force for Pelosi’s progressive base. The “news” as she put it will only harden the views of some further to the left that Pelosi and the old guard of Democratic lawmakers are not strong enough in their opposition of Trump and are therefore out of touch with their own party’s values and priorities.

Pelosi addressed the concern of whether Trump’s presidency has permanently damaged American institutions or put our country is a perilous state, arguing:

However, Pelosi did not mince words when she was asked if she thinks Trump is “fit” to serve as commander-in-chief: