Nancy Pelosi says she skipped watching Donald Trump’s recent prime time speech and she did not mince words about why. In a new interview, the longtime Democratic leader said she simply could not bring herself to tune in anymore.
“I’ve had enough of him,” Pelosi told Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC. While she did not watch the speech live, Pelosi said she saw clips afterward and what she saw only reinforced her concerns. “But I did see some of it in the news afterward and I think it was a demonstration of his mental incapacity,” she said.
Pelosi also pointed to another recent moment that raised alarms for her. She referenced Trump’s verbal attack on filmmaker Rob Reiner following a violent incident involving Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, who were found stabbed in their home earlier this month. Pelosi said Trump’s response to that situation was deeply troubling.
“Something’s wrong there,” she said. “And something’s wrong with the people around him that they don’t stop him from his ridiculousness.”
The comments reflect a relationship that has been openly hostile for years. Pelosi and Trump famously clashed throughout his first term, with moments that became lasting images of their political rivalry. One of the most memorable came during a White House meeting when Pelosi was photographed standing and gesturing sharply at a seated Trump. Pelosi said she is still regularly asked to sign photos from that encounter even today.
Another defining moment came during the State of the Union address when Pelosi, seated directly behind Trump, tore up a copy of his speech as soon as he finished. The move sparked outrage from Trump, who falsely claimed that her action was “very illegal.”
Pelosi addressed that moment again in the interview, saying she had a clear reason for doing it. She said she ripped up the speech because it was a “manifesto of lies.”
At 85, Pelosi is preparing to close the chapter on a historic political career. She is not running for reelection this year and plans to retire at the end of her term, bringing to an end more than 40 years in Congress. Over that time, she became one of the most powerful figures in Washington and the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House.
While Pelosi has stepped back from leadership, her latest remarks show she has not lost her willingness to speak plainly about Trump or her concerns about his behavior. Even as she prepares to leave office, she continues to weigh in on the political moment and the figures shaping it.
The interview offers a final glimpse of Pelosi in a familiar role, blunt, unapologetic, and unafraid to challenge Trump directly. As she moves toward retirement, it is clear she has no interest in softening her views or staying silent.