As COVID-19 death toll mounts, Nancy Pelosi’s salon hypocrisy hands Trump a deadly weapon
The name “Pelosi” has roots in the Latin word “pilus,” meaning “hair.” So perhaps it’s somewhat poetic that, in this foulest of years, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finds herself tangled up in a ridiculous scandal involving an illicit salon appointment.
Pelosi breezed into San Francisco’s eSalon for a wash and blow-dry last Monday despite the fact that, as everyone else in that city knows, public health rules ban indoor salon services in the middle of this deadly coronavirus pandemic. Security camera footage leaked to Fox News showed a wet-headed Pelosi walking through the establishment unmasked.
In politics, it’s best to avoid scandal. If a scandal cannot be avoided, however, the crisis playbook is simple. First, acknowledge wrongdoing. Second, apologize and take full responsibility. Third, outline a plan to make amends (then follow through). Then, maybe, lie low for a while.
Instead, Pelosi issued a statement claiming that she — the most powerful Democratic lawmaker in the nation — didn’t know the rules. At a press conference the next day, Pelosi claimed she’d been “set up,” demanded an apology from the salon and grew testy with reporters for asking questions.
“As it turns out, it was a set up,” Pelosi said. “So, I take responsibility for falling for a set up.”
Pelosi went on to express sympathy for salon workers who are unemployed due to the pandemic, which has necessitated the shutdown of churches, schools, gyms and salons. California’s salon workers have protested Gov. Gavin Newsom’s public health rules for months.
“I have been inundated by people who are in the hair service industry saying, ‘Thank you for calling attention to this. We need to get back to work,’” Pelosi said. “And many of them annoyed at the set up that was there for a purpose that has nothing to do with ending the crisis.”
By blaming others, invoking unnamed supporters and seeming to side with people who want to “get back to work” despite the deadly virus, Pelosi managed to sound a bit like Donald Trump. Her botched response made “L’Affaire du Hair” a bigger story.
Was Pelosi set up? Maybe. Salon owner Erica Kious quickly leaked the footage to Fox. Kious also gave Pelosi’s hairdresser permission to serve the famous politician in violation of health rules. Even if Kious did set a trap, however, Pelosi willingly walked into it.
Some Democratic partisans have tried to dismiss this all as a politically-motivated kerfuffle, but these folks are not so forgiving when Republicans transgress. As someone who advised top California Democrats for over a decade, I say Pelosi made a serious mistake.
It matters when leaders lie or erode public trust. It matters when they take risks and endanger lives. It matters — regardless of whether it’s a leader you like or a leader you loathe.
I admire Pelosi. She’s a brilliant and masterful politician. She’s a sophisticated operator who knows the political game better than anyone. She plays Trump like a fiddle. Her strength as a leader is unquestionable.
That’s what makes her error so shocking. Pelosi knows better than to give Trump’s Republicans an opening right now. She understands the power of symbols and scandals. She knows how it looks to most Americans when someone of her wealth and stature scoffs at rules. Yet she played right into the GOP’s worst stereotypes of her as a super-wealthy and entitled elite.
At 80, Pelosi is also in the high-risk group for COVID-19. As a key leader in a moment of national crisis, why would she risk her health for a hairdo?
Most troubling: We are currently engulfed in a life or death debate over how to respond to COVID-19. Over 185,000 Americans and 13,000 Californians are dead. Trump and his ilk want to quickly reopen the country regardless of the death toll. Democrats like Joe Biden say the federal government must do more to protect people and contain the virus.
Pelosi’s blow-out handed Trump a powerful and deadly argument. If it’s safe for Pelosi to get her hair done, why isn’t it safe to go to church, school or work? If an octogenarian can survive a salon visit as COVID-19 deaths peak, why can’t we all resume normal life?
Republicans will now use Pelosi as Exhibit A in their case against the coronavirus shutdown. If they succeed, more people will die preventable deaths. Those hurt worst won’t be millionaires like Pelosi. They’ll mostly be lower-income people of color who do essential work.
This is more than a silly tale of hair and hypocrisy. It’s a parable of power, privilege, public health and propaganda. Pelosi should fully acknowledge her actions, show humility and transform her blunder into a lesson about the need for continued vigilance against COVID-19.
Blaming the press, the Republicans and the salon won’t end the story. Only the truth can do that — and the truth is that Pelosi did this to herself. She’s reaping the consequences. But if she continues to insist she did nothing wrong when she booked a forbidden salon visit during California’s coronavirus death spike, others could pay a much heavier price.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "As COVID-19 death toll mounts, Nancy Pelosi’s salon hypocrisy hands Trump a deadly weapon."