House Democrats applauded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for ripping in half President Trump’s signed copy of his State of the Union address.
Pelosi’s rank and file on Wednesday stood and clapped for Pelosi during a closed-door meeting the morning after Trump’s address. Democrats largely condemned the speech, while Republicans called it one of the best they have ever heard delivered in the chamber.
Pelosi, of California, trashed the speech in the closed-door meeting, echoing complaints from Democrats that the presentation sounded like something Trump presented at one of his campaign rallies or his reality television show.
“As far as I’m concerned, the shredder wasn’t available, and she did what she needed to do,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said after the meeting when asked about Pelosi tearing up the speech.
Pelosi told reporters she ripped up the speech as a courtesy because it was so terrible she was considering other alternatives for disposing of it.
She called the speech “a manifesto of mistruths.”
Trump touted positive economic indicators, such as low unemployment and wage growth, and said he wants to work on bipartisan legislation to lower prescription drug prices.
Trump delivered his speech as Democrats are girding themselves for the end of their bid to remove him from office.
The Senate will vote at 4 p.m. local time to acquit Trump of two articles of impeachment, passed by House Democrats in December, which accuse Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Democrats blamed Trump for the animosity in the chamber because he did not shake Pelosi’s extended hand when he reached the podium in the House chamber. Trump also didn’t shake the hand of Vice President Mike Pence, who was sitting next to Pelosi.
It’s not clear whether he saw Pelosi’s hand, though the two have not spoken in months.
“When someone won’t even shake the hand of the speaker of the House, it tells you where this president, where his priorities lie,” Rep. Katherine Clark, a Massachusetts Democrat said. “And they are squarely with himself, not with the American people.
