Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was bookended by two dramatic encounters with the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, beginning with the president appearing to reject her handshake and ending with Pelosi dramatically ripping up a copy of his speech.
The night got off to an awkward start when Pelosi – the most senior Democrat in Congress, who initiated the impeachment inquiry into Trump – extended her hand as the president approached to take his place at the podium. But Trump snubbed her, turning away without accepting it.
Pelosi, who was seated along with the vice-president, Mike Pence, behind Trump’s podium in the House chamber, merely smiled and sat down. It was the pair’s first encounter since October, when Democrats had walked out of a meeting with Trump on Syria after he called her a “third-rate politician”.
After the president concluded his 78-minute address, Pelosi ripped up the paper copy of his speech she had in front of her with a pointed flourish. Asked by reporters why she tore up the speech, she responded: “It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative.”
Elaborating later, she called the speech a “manifesto of mistruths” and said Trump’s words “gave no comfort” to families looking for better healthcare options and he was “not truthful” about his healthcare policies.
The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the President and policies worthy of his office and the American people. #SOTU https://t.co/7rUFbhWDDQ
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 5, 2020
The White House accused Pelosi of disrespecting some of the people Trump has singled out during his address, including one of the last surviving Tuskegee airmen, the first black military aviators who served in the second world war, and a serving military officer who was reunited with his family in a surprise reality TV-style moment.
Speaker Pelosi just ripped up:
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 5, 2020
One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen.
The survival of a child born at 21 weeks.
The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller.
A service member's reunion with his family.
That's her legacy.
And Trump’s allies were quick to condemn Pelosi.
The Republican National Commitee quickly began circulating the video Pelosi tearing up the speech, as some political commentators predicted the clip would soon find its way into a Republican attack ad.
Longtime congressional reporters said Pelosi’s destruction of the speech underscored what an unprecedented State of the Union it was, pointing out Republicans’ campaign-style cheers of “four more years” as Trump stood before them.
The tension between Pelosi and Trump overshadowed Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and Texas congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who delivered the official Democratic responses to the State of the Union.
Escobar delivered her thoughts in Spanish, addressing the subject that Trump had studiously avoided – impeachment.
“Sabemos que el presidente Trump violó su juramento al pedirle a otro país que interfiriera en nuestras elecciones,” she said, which translates as: “We know that President Trump violated his oath by asking for foreign interference”.
The president’s third State of the Union speech fell on the eve of his likely acquittal by Republican loyalists in the Senate’s impeachment trial, a process kickstarted when Pelosi announced the House impeachment inquiry more than four months ago. Trump was impeached in the House in December.
In another testy moment on Tuesday night, Pelosi also ignored the traditional introduction of the president as he walked into the chamber. Eschewing the usual language, in which the House speaker says, “Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States”, Pelosi simply introduced Trump by saying: “Members of Congress, the President of the United States.”
The scene on Tuesday night in Washington presented a potentially uncomfortable juxtaposition for Trump, considering the State of the Union is held in the same room where the House voted to impeach him in December.
Pelosi had reportedly warned her caucus members to remain dignified if Trump veers into taunting them over the impeachment trial. Several well-known House Democrats, including the congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, opted to boycott the event altogether, citing Trump’s “contempt for Congress and our constitution”.
It wasn’t the first time Pelosi has made waves during Trump’s State of the Union. A clip of her clapping in a sarcastic manner during Trump’s 2019 State of the Union speech went viral, prompting a slew of memes and praise for her world-class skills in the art of the subtle diss.
She has won a reputation for being able to get under Trump’s skin in a series of other incidents ranging from spats over policy to using air quotes when talking about Trump’s “mind” to saying that she prays for the president.