Pelosi Says Chinese President Xi Jinping ‘Acting Like a Scared Bully’ after Her Taiwan Trip

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday defended her trip to Taiwan after China’s backlash, saying Chinese President Xi Jinping is “acting like a scared bully.”

The visit inflamed tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. China views trips by foreign government officials to Taiwan as an acknowledgment of the island’s sovereignty and warned the trip would have an “egregious political impact.” China performed live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait after Pelosi’s departure.

Asked by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie if the trip was “worth it,” Pelosi replied: “Absolutely, without any question.”

“I have overwhelming bipartisan support for our visit to Taiwan, as Speaker of the House and with the distinguished delegation that I went there with. We were very well received. Thousands of people in the streets.”

She said “what the Chinese are doing is what they usually do.”

Twenty-six Senate Republicans, including Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), signed a statement in support of Pelosi’s trip last week.

“We support Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan,” the lawmakers said. “For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have travelled to Taiwan. This travel is consistent with the United States’ One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act.”