As I previously reported here at Townhall, the incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi chose to enjoy a luxury vacation to Hawaii's "Big Island" over the Christmas break while President Trump was in Washington working to reopen the government.

Pelosi would have to explain the reasoning behind her recent vacation during the partial government shutdown sooner or later as the president has referred to the trip frequently.

This morning in an exclusive interview with "TODAY" host Savannah Guthrie, Pelosi discussed a range of topics, including her goals and the way she intends to lead as Speaker of the House in the 116th Congress.

In the interview Guthrie suggests, "The president took a swipe, I think, as recently as today, saying that you went on vacation to Hawaii during the shutdown. Now, you had said before the shutdown that he was being quite cavalier and maybe the shutdown will give him more time to golf, but in the end, it was you that took a holiday."

Pelosi struggles to respond, saying in part, "I observed the Christmas holiday for a few days, and I cut in half the time I would have had."

WATCH:

On Wednesday in a cabinet meeting that was open to the press, Trump referenced Congresswoman Pelosi's vacation whole making the point that he has been in Washington, D.C. waiting to strike a deal and work together to end the shutdown.

Later in the interview Guthrie, referring to the president's criticism, asked Pelosi, "Is that a cheap shot?"

Pelosi responded stating that, "It's not important. It's totally unimportant, but the fact is we all stood ready and told our members we'll have 24 hours notice for all of us to be where we need to be,"

"And the president may not know this, but Hawaii is part of the United States of America. Maybe he doesn't realize that. I don't know where the president observed the religious holiday of Christmas. Do you?"

I'm pretty sure the president is aware that "Hawaii is part of the United States of America"...