WASHINGTON: For President Donald Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday night, the State of the Union was hostile. The mutual snubbing began the moment Trump walked into the House chamber and continued until he finished speaking, when Pelosi stood, an expression of vague disgust on her face, and tore up her printed copy of his speech — in full view of the TV cameras, while Trump had his back turned.
The interaction between Trump and Pelosi was one of the most anticipated moments of the president’s appearance at the Capitol the night before the Senate is expected to acquit him in his impeachment trial. The two had not seen each other since October, when Pelosi abruptly left a White House meeting after lecturing a scowling Trump.
The sour dynamic was on display from the start. When Trump stepped up to the rostrum in the House of Representatives and handed her his speech, Pelosi rose and extended her hand to shake his. Trump turned his back, and the speaker quickly withdrew her hand, appearing to shrug slightly and raise her eyebrows as if to say, “Well, I tried.” Then Pelosi dealt Trump a slight of her own by omitting the customary laudatory words in her introduction of the president. Normally, she would have said, “I have the high privilege and distinct honour of presenting to you the president of the US.” Instead, she said, “Members of Congress, the president of the US”.
But it was the flourish at the end — when Pelosi made a point of picking up her copy of the speech, ripping it in half and throwing the pieces on the table in front of her — that grabbed the attention of the public. The gesture was particularly out of character for the speaker, who prides herself on exhibiting proper decorum. When Pelosi left, she told reporters that tearing up the speech was “the courteous thing to do considering the alternative”.
The interaction between Trump and Pelosi was one of the most anticipated moments of the president’s appearance at the Capitol the night before the Senate is expected to acquit him in his impeachment trial. The two had not seen each other since October, when Pelosi abruptly left a White House meeting after lecturing a scowling Trump.
The sour dynamic was on display from the start. When Trump stepped up to the rostrum in the House of Representatives and handed her his speech, Pelosi rose and extended her hand to shake his. Trump turned his back, and the speaker quickly withdrew her hand, appearing to shrug slightly and raise her eyebrows as if to say, “Well, I tried.” Then Pelosi dealt Trump a slight of her own by omitting the customary laudatory words in her introduction of the president. Normally, she would have said, “I have the high privilege and distinct honour of presenting to you the president of the US.” Instead, she said, “Members of Congress, the president of the US”.
But it was the flourish at the end — when Pelosi made a point of picking up her copy of the speech, ripping it in half and throwing the pieces on the table in front of her — that grabbed the attention of the public. The gesture was particularly out of character for the speaker, who prides herself on exhibiting proper decorum. When Pelosi left, she told reporters that tearing up the speech was “the courteous thing to do considering the alternative”.
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