Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Pelosi Shreds Trump's Speech. Right There on the Podium.
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
February 5, 2020

Share

WASHINGTON — And then she tore up the speech.
No sooner had President Donald Trump finished his State of the Union address than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped the paper it was printed on in two.

“It was a manifesto of mistruths.” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Right there, on camera, behind Trump’s back. As he stepped down, she ripped again. Then a third time. And a fourth. If Trump knew about the American carnage going on behind him, he didn’t react as he left. But Pelosi was on her turf, with a deep understanding of her audience — and she wasn’t finished. In case any confusion remained, Pelosi held up what remained of the address to her family in the gallery, in full view of reporters.
“It was a manifesto of mistruths,” Pelosi told reporters as she left the Capitol. The ripping was not planned, according to a person close to the Democratic speaker who was unauthorized to speak publicly.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said Wednesday that Pelosi told House Democrats at a private morning meeting that the Trump “shredded the truth, and she shredded the speech because it was filled with untruths.”
Republicans dismissed her display, on the eve of Trump’s acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, as a tantrum.
Vice President Mike Pence, who sat to Pelosi’s right during the speech, said Wednesday that he did not see when she tore up the speech. He joined fellow Republicans in criticizing her behavior.

Tearing the Speech Gave Pelosi the Last Visual Word Over Trump

“I found out just a few moments later, and I think it was a new low,” he said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends.” “I wasn’t sure if she was ripping up the speech or ripping up the Constitution.”
Pence accused Pelosi of trying to make the evening “about her and I think the American people see through it.”
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Tuesday night that Pelosi “might as well rip up any plans for attracting independent voters.”
Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana added in a tweet Tuesday: “This speech was about American heroes and American workers. She decided THAT was worth literally tearing apart.”
Tearing the speech gave Pelosi the last visual word over Trump, who had spoken to the House from a position of strength. He arrived in the chamber with the full force of the Republican Party behind him. She is leading a party in the throes of a divisive presidential nomination fight that had botched the kickoff Iowa caucuses only the night before. The House had impeached Trump on her watch. But the Senate was poised to acquit him.
From the start, the event was awkward because the history between those two was so icy. They had not spoken since October, when Pelosi pointed at Trump over a White House conference table, suggested that Russia controls him and walked out.

Photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up President Donald Trump's speech
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., tears her copy of President Donald Trump’s s State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Vice President Mike Pence is at left. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

For 78 Minutes, Trump Extolled a ‘Great American Comeback’ on His Watch

Now, Trump was returning to the very chamber where he was impeached, standing before the same Democrats who have called him unfit for office and sought to oust him. He stepped to the podium and handed navy blue folders containing his speech to Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence. Photos show that Trump mistakenly handed Pence’s copy to Pelosi. The outside reads in gold letters: “The President of the Senate of the United States.” That’s Pence’s title.

For 78 minutes, Trump extolled a “Great American Comeback” on his watch, just three years after he took office decrying a land of “American carnage” under his predecessor. Pelosi read through her copy as he spoke.
At that moment, Pelosi extended a hand. Trump did not acknowledge it, instead turning around to begin his speech.
Pelosi, famous for casting shade, especially on Trump, gave a look.
For 78 minutes, Trump extolled a “Great American Comeback” on his watch, just three years after he took office decrying a land of “American carnage” under his predecessor. Pelosi read through her copy as he spoke.
Trump bestowed the Medal of Freedom on Rush Limbaugh to raucous applause and a glum reception from House Democrats.

The Moment Was a Less Joyful Echo of Last Year’s State of the Union

“My fellow Americans, the best is yet to come,” he finished.
Pelosi had already gathered the papers for her big ripping finish, which she later said was “the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative.”
The moment was a less joyful echo of last year’s State of the Union, when Pelosi stole the show with a smirk-and-clap, eye to eye with Trump. Then, Democrats were triumphant after election gains that flipped the House from Republican control and put Pelosi back in the speaker’s chair.
That night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrived on the scene wearing a white caped pantsuit and sat prominently at the center of the Democratic section. Tuesday night, on the eve of Trump’s acquittal, the congresswoman skipped the speech altogether.
“After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a few hours before the speech. “None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it.”

DON'T MISS

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

DON'T MISS

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

DON'T MISS

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

DON'T MISS

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

DON'T MISS

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

DON'T MISS

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

DON'T MISS

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

DON'T MISS

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

DON'T MISS

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

UP NEXT

Democrats’ Popularity Plummets, yet Midterm Prospects Remain Strong

UP NEXT

USDA Explores Why US Egg Shortage Contrasts with Canada’s Abundant Supply

UP NEXT

Cuts Leave Social Security System in Disarray With Millions Affected

UP NEXT

Hyundai to Build $5.8B Steel Mill in Louisiana, Creating 5,400 Jobs

UP NEXT

Supreme Court Backs Biden’s Ghost Gun Regulation Requiring Serial Numbers, Background Checks

UP NEXT

Trump Signs Order Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote

UP NEXT

Former Utah Rep. Mia Love Dies. She Was 1st Black Republican Woman Elected to US House

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Block Rehiring of Fired Federal Workers

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

12 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

13 hours ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

1 day ago

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

1 day ago

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

1 day ago

Myanmar’s Earthquake Death Toll Jumps to 1,644 as More Bodies Are Recovered From the Rubble

1 day ago

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

1 day ago

If You Want to Ski Affordably Next Season, Buy Now

1 day ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

Last year, The Merced FOCUS reported that for the first time in over a decade, a crucial service for survivors of sexual assault would be of...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

11 hours ago

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

12 hours ago

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

12 hours ago

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

13 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

1 day ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend