Trump's State of the Union Address Was an Exercise in Nancy Pelosi's Patience
Yesterday, President Donald Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi later called a "manifesto of mistruths."
After Trump finished speaking, Pelosi tore up her copy of his speech.
Will we ever find out who won Iowa? Probably not. What we do know at least is that Nancy Pelosi was mildly upset by Donald Trump's State of the Union address yesterday.
The annual speech was already off to an eventful start, with Trump seemingly snubbing a handshake from the House Speaker's extended hand. Pelosi then deviated from the norm by not introducing Trump with, "I have the high privilege and distinct honor of … ," a congressional formality that she honored even President George W. Bush with in 2007. Instead, she referred to Trump as only "the president of the United States" (which is not, like, inaccurate). Still, breaking tradition is apparently a big deal on Capitol Hill.
By the end of Trump's speech, Pelosi maintained a stoic face as she ripped up her copy of his address, a moment that is now in the running for Most Symbolic Way to Go Viral on Twitter Without Actually Doing Anything Meaningful (the other contender being her not-actually-sarcastic clapback from last year's SOTU, of course).
Standing behind President Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi rips up a copy of his State of the Union address as soon as he is done delivering the speech. https://t.co/z21h5Ddt05 #SOTU pic.twitter.com/39lpEGmfX6
— ABC News (@ABC) February 5, 2020
Later, Pelosi tweeted her review of his speech, giving it a solid two thumbs down.
"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," she wrote.
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
At the end of last year, Pelosi presided over the House vote to impeach Trump, charging him with obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. Trump's dubious dealings with Ukraine were the centerpiece of this partisan struggle.
"If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty. It is tragic that the president's reckless actions make impeachment necessary," Pelosi said at the time. "He gave us no choice. What we are discussing today is the established fact that the president violated the Constitution."
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