House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to tear up the president’s State of the Union address while standing behind him, the world watching, has resulted in significant blowback, including from the White House and the generally mild-mannered vice president.
During an appearance on “Fox and Friends” Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence was asked about Pelosi’s decision to rip up President Trump’s speech in front of the cameras immediately following the speech’s conclusion. The moment, said Pence, was a “new low” for Pelosi and her party.
“I didn’t see her do it,” said the Vice President (video below). “I found out just a few moments later — and I think it was a new low.”
“I wasn’t sure if she was ripping up the speech or ripping up the Constitution,” he added.
“The contrast here was a president who spent an hour and a half making the speech about America,” Pence continued. “And Nancy Pelosi, in the final moments, tried to make it about her. And I think the American people see through it. I think they see through the pettiness, they see through the politics of all of it.”
“I think what they got last night was a speech that lifted up the country, that celebrated the incredible progress that we’ve made in our economy, rebuilding our military, strengthening our courts,” said Pence. “The stories the president told were American stories, and I just know that it was a great, great blessing to people all across America. And it’s one of the reasons you see the momentum growing behind this president.”
Pence closed his initial comments by offering a prediction. “I just have a strong feeling that she’s going to be the last Speaker of the House to sit in that chair for a long time,” he said.
After the hosts noted that “we’ve never seen anything like that before” and that Pelosi’s actions are being criticized by some as a “sore loser move,” Pence was asked if he thought the speaker planned the act of defiance all along.
“It felt like it. It was such an immediate moment,” said Pence.
“I’ve been to a lot of State of the Union addresses as a member of Congress, and now this was my fourth as a Vice President of the United States,” he added. “And there’s always a basic decorum and a basic respect. But to have her stand up and tear up that speech really dishonored the moment, and I really thought it was beneath the dignity of a joint session of Congress — and I think it will be remembered as such.”
Pence says Pelosi ripping up Trump's SOTU speech was "a new low." pic.twitter.com/DyMUz9tH4V
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 5, 2020
Following her viral act of disrespect on the national stage, Pelosi told reporters that she felt compelled to do it because it was a “dirty speech” and that her actions were actually the more “courteous” thing to do considering the “alternative” — an alternative she chose not to specify.
As The Daily Wire reported Tuesday night, Pelosi began the event by immediately breaking protocol in refusing to announce President Trump properly. “Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States,” the traditional introduction states. Pelosi instead chose to literally dis-“honor” Trump, stating simply, “Members of Congress, the President of the United States.”
Related: White House Officially Responds To Pelosi Ripping Up Trump’s Speech