Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has issued a sharp critique of President Donald Trump’s recent behavior, stating she has “had enough of him” and pointing to what she described as displays of his “mental incapacity.”
In an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, Pelosi, 85, said she deliberately chose not to watch Trump’s prime-time speech, explaining her decision with characteristic bluntness. After seeing portions of the address in news coverage afterward, she said it demonstrated the president’s mental incapacity.
Pelosi told Karl she had had it with Trump. She pointed to specific examples that troubled her, including Trump’s public attack on Rob Reiner following his death.
Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found stabbed to death in their home, a tragedy that shocked Hollywood and political circles. Trump’s subsequent comments about Reiner drew widespread criticism, with Pelosi calling out both the president and those around him.
“Something’s wrong there,” Pelosi said. “And something’s wrong with the people around him that they don’t stop him from his ridiculousness.”
During Trump’s speech, the president claimed he had brought the nation back from the brink of ruin and said he made America the hottest country in the world. The address prompted mixed reactions along partisan lines, with Democrats criticizing the tone and content while Republicans praised the president’s vision.
The White House responded to Pelosi’s criticism by calling her unhinged and claiming she enriched her family through corrupt stock trading. The sharp exchange reflected the continued animosity between Trump and Pelosi, a relationship marked by public confrontations throughout Trump’s political career.
Pelosi’s history with Trump includes several memorable moments that became defining images of his first term. During a White House meeting, she engaged in a finger-wagging exchange with the president that went viral on social media. The photograph became so iconic that Pelosi is frequently asked to sign copies of it even today.
Another dramatic moment came during a State of the Union address when Pelosi, then serving as House Speaker, tore up Trump’s speech while standing behind him on the dais. The gesture sparked intense debate and drew Trump’s fury.
Trump claimed at the time that tearing up the speech was very illegal. In her recent interview, Pelosi explained her reasoning for the dramatic act, saying she tore up the speech because it was a manifesto of lies.
The former speaker’s criticisms come as she prepares to retire at the end of her term, closing out a four-decade career in Congress. Her tenure has made her one of the most powerful and influential political figures in modern American history.
Meanwhile, Trump’s presidency has been marked by controversy over several recent actions, including his decision to pardon individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The president pardoned over 1,500 people connected to the events of that day, when a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
The pardons drew criticism from some members of Trump’s own party. Senator Lindsey Graham said that pardoning people who attacked police sends the wrong signal. Graham, typically a Trump ally, broke with the president on this issue, suggesting the decision could encourage future violence.
Trump also removed security details from former advisers John Bolton and Mike Pompeo, both of whom served during his first administration. The two had been granted protection due to ongoing threats.
Graham called the removal of security for Bolton and Pompeo a mistake, emphasizing that officials who serve the country should not be left without protection, regardless of political disagreements.
The current political environment reflects deep divisions within both parties and across the American electorate. Pelosi’s decision to speak out forcefully against Trump, even as she prepares to leave Congress, signals her continued concern about the direction of the country and the president’s leadership style.
Her critique focuses not only on Trump himself but also on those surrounding him, suggesting a broader failure of advisers and staff to moderate or restrain what she views as inappropriate behavior. This concern about enablers and the broader political ecosystem around Trump has been a recurring theme among his critics.
As Pelosi prepares to retire, her legacy will include not only her legislative accomplishments but also her role as one of Trump’s most prominent and persistent opponents. The confrontations between the two have provided some of the most dramatic moments in recent American political history, from their public clashes at the White House to her dramatic gesture during the State of the Union address.
Her criticism also comes at a time when questions about age and fitness for office have become increasingly prominent in American politics. Pelosi herself has faced such questions, though she has remained active and engaged throughout her final term in Congress. Her comments about Trump’s mental capacity add another dimension to ongoing debates about leadership and competency at the highest levels of government.
The relationship between Trump and Pelosi has often served as a microcosm of broader political divisions in the United States. Their interactions have been marked by mutual disdain and public confrontations that reflect the polarized nature of contemporary American politics. As both figures near the end of their current political chapters—Pelosi through retirement and Trump in his second and final term—their long-running feud stands as a defining feature of this era in American political history.