Former Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has issued some sour words ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled State of the Union address.
According to The Washington Post, the San Francisco representative recalled the moment she stood behind the president and ripped his agenda in half during his first term in office, as Trump gave his address in 2020. Pelosi reportedly considered the president’s words as false.
“Then, when I saw that every page was a lie, I had to tear it up,” Pelosi told WP, adding that the paper needed a “few” rips because the “parchment is very hard to tear.”
Pelosi, who is now a rank-and-file lawmaker, still holds a lot of influence with the Democratic caucus, according to the WaPo, and is often sought out by younger lawmakers for counsel. Pelosi has reportedly told these lawmakers that they need to avoid making themselves part Trump’s address that will be held Tuesday and instead focus on the upcoming midterm elections in 2026.
“Any demonstration of disagreement, whether it’s visual or whatever, just let him stew in his own juice. Don’t be any grist for the mill to say this was inappropriate,” Pelosi said.
The WaPo further reported that Democrats have been unable to form a unified rebuttal to some of the polices that have implemented by Trump since his inauguration, and Pelosi said she wants her colleagues to focus on budget items that will be taking heavy cuts, particularly within health care.
“I’m going there to hear what he has to say about Medicaid, about taking medical care away from more children, middle-income seniors who need long-term health care, and people with disabilities,” Pelosi said of Trump’s upcoming speech.
“Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Let’s hear what he has to say,” Pelosi said. “More important, let’s see how the Republicans react to it.”
Party leaders reportedly believe that the cost-of-living was one of the deciding factors that dismantled former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential election campaign, along with other Democrats who were running.
On Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk moving toward stripping federal agencies, Pelosi said Democrats would have the best chance by not airing those grievances in D.C.
“The most important thing in all of this is to prioritize … members will say I want this; I want that. Yeah, that’s interesting, talk about that at home,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi reportedly said she hopes Democrats can refrain from interjecting Trump’s address, and noted how prominent Republican lawmakers had shouted down former President Joe Biden’s last two addresses.
“Unless you have something that is a moment,” she said. “That’s what a moment was, when I tore up the speech.”
Pelosi reiterated the importance of Democrats to remaining focused on the mid-term elections.
“This fall is everything. And we only need three seats,” Pelosi said. “I don’t want three seats; I want many more than that.”
