Nancy Pelosi takes toxic feud with Donald Trump to new low

Nancy Pelosi’s blank face turned into a grimace. Then the unthinkable moment came.

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi rips up a copy of US President Donald Trumps speech. Picture: AFP

Her blank face gradually turned into a grimace. Then the unthinkable moment came: the Speaker of the US House of Representatives tore in half the President’s State of the Union address.

The theatrical — some may say shocking scene — has taken to a new low the bitter and increasingly toxic feud between Democrat Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump.

The President had appeared to ignore Ms Pelosi’s outstretched hand as he walked to the podium to give his address. So the woman who orchestrated Mr Trump’s impeachment, waited until the end to make her own statement.

Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/ELJqR9q4xD

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 5, 2020

As Mr Trump basked in the applause of Republicans, Ms Pelosi stood up and ripped up her copy of his speech, page by page, in front of the massive national television audience. “It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative,” she later explained.

The pair’s ­relationship — they have not ­spoken in months — has come to symbolise a fractured Washington. Mr Trump cannot forgive the 79-year-old for putting an asterisk next to his legacy by driving his partisan impeachment in the House over the Ukraine controversy.

Speaker Pelosi just ripped up:

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.

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 5, 2020

Ms Pelosi is now furious that the Senate impeachment trial on Thursday will easily acquit the President possibly without a single Republican defection. He says she’s crazy and corrupt; she calls him a coward and claims she prays for him.

Republicans and conservatives denounced Ms Pelosi’s actions as disrespectful. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Ms Pelosi’s actions weren’t “clever or cute”. “As Speaker of the House for four State of the Unions by a president of the other party I am ­disgusted and insulted by the ­viciously partisan action of Nancy Pelosi tearing up the speech,” the Republican said.

As Speaker of the House for four State of the Unions by a President of the other party I am disgusted and insulted by the viciously partisan action of Nancy Pelosi tearing up the speech.She isn’t clever or cute her childishness insults our American traditions -should be censured.

— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) February 5, 2020

The former US ambassador to the UN under Mr Trump, Nikki Haley, said Ms Pelosi should “remember others are watching”.

Disappointed to see @SpeakerPelosi rip up the speech that mentioned lives we’ve lost and heroes we celebrated at the SOTU. No matter how you feel or what you disagree with, remember others are watching. This was unbecoming of someone at her level in office.

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 5, 2020

“This was unbecoming of someone at her level in office,” Ms Haley said.

As Mr Trump spoke, listing his achievements and touting “the great American comeback”, a divided Washington was on full view to the world. Republicans leapt to their feet as one to applaud his pronouncements while the Democrat half of the chamber sat mute with arms folded or jeered.

Mr Trump’s speech came after a tough few days for the Democrats. Mr Trump chided his opponents for their astonishing stuff-up in the Iowa Democratic caucus when a technology crash meant no results were announced on one of the most important contests of the election year.

“The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster,” Mr Trump tweeted. “Nothing works, just like (when) they ran the Country.”

When the Iowa Democrats finally released the results of 62 per cent of the vote almost 24 hours later, they changed the landscape of the Democrat presidential race. The youngest candidate in the 12-person race, 38-year-old Pete Buttigieg had surged to the front, winning 26.9 per cent of the vote.