Pelosi clearly has TDS.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is offering a new explanation for one of the most controversial moments of the Trump presidency — the night she publicly tore up President Donald Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address.
In a recent interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Pelosi claimed the now-famous incident was never planned and said it unfolded spontaneously as she listened to the speech from the House chamber.
According to Pelosi, she began tearing the pages after concluding the speech contained statements she strongly disagreed with. She said the decision was made in the moment and insisted she had no intention of creating a political spectacle.
Pelosi went on to describe the practical difficulty of tearing the document, noting that the official copy was printed on heavy paper and required repeated effort to fully rip apart. She joked that her staff was stunned by what was happening.
At the time, the moment drew immediate backlash from conservatives, who criticized the act as disrespectful to the presidency and unprecedented in modern American politics. The image quickly became one of the defining visuals of the deeply divided Trump era in Washington.
Pelosi also revisited another widely circulated image from 2019, showing her pointing her finger at President Trump during a tense White House meeting with Cabinet officials. She said the photo has since become the most requested autograph of her career.
In reflecting on that moment, Pelosi suggested the image symbolized her frustration with the administration. She noted that the White House later released the photo publicly and characterized her behavior negatively — something she now says only increased attention on the image.
“They did me a favor,” Pelosi remarked.
When asked how she hopes to be remembered after decades in Congress, Pelosi pointed to one legislative achievement above all others: the Affordable Care Act.
She described the law as a major policy shift intended to help working families manage healthcare costs and financial security. Pelosi acknowledged that Republicans have long opposed the legislation and framed the disagreement as a fundamental divide over government’s role in healthcare.
“If I were to be remembered for one thing,” Pelosi said, “it would be the Affordable Care Act.”
For many conservative voters, however, Pelosi’s legacy is likely to be defined less by policy and more by moments like the torn speech — an image that continues to symbolize the sharp political tensions that shaped Washington during President Trump’s time in office.
