Watch: Pelosi tears Trump State of the Union speech in half

Updated

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a wordless reaction to President Trump’s combative State of the Union Speech on Tuesday — she tore her copy of it in half at the end of the address.

The extraordinary gesture of disdain exemplified the partisan divide lingering over Washington as the Senate prepares to vote Wednesday on the two articles of impeachment passed by the Democratic House. Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, are considered certain to acquit him.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., tears her copy of President Donald Trump's s State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears her copy of President Trump's State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Trump handed Pelosi a copy of his speech before he read it but turned away from the speaker when she reached to shake his hand. Pelosi and Trump have reportedly not spoken since October, when the House began its impeachment inquiry into Trump’s efforts to coerce Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Except for a few passages, Trump’s speech was met with silence and occasional groans from the Democratic side of the chamber, while Republicans applauded loudly and enthusiastically.

“I tore it up,” Pelosi said as she was leaving the chamber. “Because it was a courteous thing to do considering the alternative. It was such a dirty speech."

The White House responded with a tweet mocking Pelosi:

Some Democrats who attended the speech quickly rallied to Pelosi’s defense, calling out the president for what they viewed as a combative address.

Minutes after the House chamber had emptied, Pelosi tweeted about her interactions with Trump.

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