‘Legend’ or ‘Disgrace?’ Nancy Pelosi Draws Passionate Mixed Reactions for Ripping Up Trump’s SOTU Speech

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to have grabbed some of President Donald Trump’s spotlight by ripping up his State of the Union Speech speech just after it ended.

Seeing as the president’s speech came amidst a what appears to be a soon-to-end impeachment proceeding,  many wondered about just how Trump and Pelosi would interact with one other in their first face-to-face encounter for months. While its still in question whether it was intentional or not, Trump declined to shake the Pelosi’s hand at the start of the address, and when he was finished, she stood up behind him and ripped her copy of the speech to pieces.

Pelosi’s actions drew instant notice and they dominated the political conversations following the event. Many observers decried the speaker’s actions as bad form, calling it a disrespectful “tantrum” and proof of her frustration that Trump is most likely about to be acquitted by the Senate over the Ukraine scandal.

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

The Speaker embarrassed herself by ripping up her paper copy of the speech in dramatic fashion. So pathetic. #SOTU2020

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 5, 2020

The only thing Pelosi and dems have is her ripping up President Trump’s speech at the end. Petty and pathetic. Democrats are losing.

— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) February 5, 2020

How petty of Pelosi. Ripping up a piece of paper doesn’t change the facts that were written on it—Americans are winning, in spite of the do-nothing Democrats.

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) February 5, 2020

After ripping up the Constitution in her coup abuse of @RealDonaldTrump that denied him his God-given due process rights, Nancy Pelosi further confirms her abusive hatred by ripping up his speech. https://t.co/91Hh0zyzN8

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) February 5, 2020

Pelosi ripping up the speech reminds us all what it looks like when we act like third-graders.

— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) February 5, 2020

Pelosi has disgraced herself, her office, and the House yet again. Her antics throughout the speech, and her drama thereafter, further expose her as a classless political hack.

— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) February 5, 2020

Tonight @realDonaldTrump laid out a bold & optimistic vision for our nation, honoring our heroes and lifting up our children. @SpeakerPelosi had a tantrum, disgraced herself and dishonored the House. She is an embarrassment and unfit for office. #EnoughIsEnough

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) February 5, 2020

Nancy Pelosi disgraced herself, her title, the US Congress, and our great country with her disgusting response at the end of the President’s State of the Union address tonight ripping up the speech. She really should be stripped of her gavel by the American public this November.

— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) February 5, 2020

Congrats Ms Pelosi your antics of rolling you eyes, muttering to yourself, not cheering for America’s achievements and ripping up the speech prob means Pres Trump will be over 50% in the next Gallup.

You literally ripped up the references to the heroes in the gallery. Tacky

— Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) February 5, 2020

Pelosi’s act dishonored the institution and destroyed even the pretense of civility and decorum in the House. If this is the Speaker’s “drop the mike” moment, it is a disgrace that should never be celebrated or repeated. In a single act, she obliterated decades of tradition.

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 5, 2020

Others, however, praised Pelosi by calling it a bold move and dismissed the outrage against her after everything Trump has done to degrade America’s political discourse.

Seems to me like Pelosi took a page out of Trump’s playbook and stole the spotlight away. No one’s talking about the speech now.

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) February 5, 2020

Nancy Pelosi just tore apart the lies.#StateOfTheUnion #SOTU pic.twitter.com/TmyHms63lo

— Grant Stern (@grantstern) February 5, 2020

Pelosi shredding the speech right now is some real time shade. Wow.

— David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) February 5, 2020

The only problem with ripping up that speech is that the media will spend all night and day debating whether it was in good form, whereas if Trump had done it Fox News would have called it a power move. Everyone is SO DUMB.

— Ira Madison III (@ira) February 5, 2020

Actually, @SpeakerPelosi was re-enacting what the Republicans have done to the Constitution as they bend their knees in fealty to a justifiably impeached Trump instead of upholding their oaths & removing him when they know he’s corrupt & unfit. #SOTU2020 https://t.co/JMEvbmXreq

— Tara Setmayer (@TaraSetmayer) February 5, 2020

On the one hand, Trump called Mexicans rapists, pledged to ban Muslims from entering the country because of their religion, allegedly committed multiple felonies, praised people marching with Neo-Nazis & KKK members. But on the other hand, did you see Pelosi tear up some paper?

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) February 5, 2020

But @seanhannity refused to call @realDonaldTrump not shaking @SpeakerPelosi’s hand “one of the most classless things ever done.” Damn hypocrite. https://t.co/gXtxH8PyIa

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) February 5, 2020

Shredding a speech: An affront to civility and decorum and our institutions.

Shredding subpoenas, requests for documents, congressional appropriations, general oversight, the Constitution: Just what the Framers had in mind.

Please spare us.

— Cristian Farias (@cristianafarias) February 5, 2020

I love Nancy Pelosi.

Wish she could run the state party races and be speaker.

— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) February 5, 2020

“Because it was a courteous thing to do considering the alternative. It was such a dirty speech.”

— Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when asked why she ripped up Trump’s speech on national television

Hero. Queen. Legend.#SOTU

— Charlotte Clymer?️‍? (@cmclymer) February 5, 2020