President Donald Trump wasted no time reacting to Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she will retire after nearly 40 years on the political frontlines. According to Fox News, the former Speaker’s decision ends an illustrious career. And Trump, predictably, took a victory lap.
Pelosi, 85, revealed on Thursday, November 6, that she will step down at the end of her term next year and she won’t seek a 20th term in the lower chamber. Instead she will end her career in the House.
She reflected, “There has been no greater honor for me than to stand on the House floor and say, ‘I speak for the people of San Francisco.”
The “speaker, leader, whip” also encouraged her fellow Americans, saying, “We have made history. We have made progress… [N]ow we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our Democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
Trump, however, offered no such diplomacy. According to Newsweek, Fox News journalist Peter Doocy read a text message that the president had sent him. “The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America.”
He continued, “She was evil, corrupt, and only focused on bad things for our country. She was rapidly losing control of her party, and it was never coming back. I’m very honored that she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice.”
“Nancy Pelosi is a highly overrated politician,” Trump said.
Pelosi’s decision had been quietly anticipated for months. NPR notes that earlier this year that Pelosi had mentioned that she would only discuss her political future after California voted on Proposition 50. It was passed and only then did Pelosi confirm her retirement.
Every State of the union.
I can’t forget about Pelosi ripping up Trump’s speech.
Who else misses this ? pic.twitter.com/w5h1PGw6ee
— Winter (@WinterPolitics1) March 5, 2025
Pelosi first made history in 2007 when she became the first woman elected Speaker of the House. She did not spare the Republican presidents, first George W. Bush, then Trump, and frequently clashed with them.
In fact, Pelosi led two impeachments against Trump. Both ended in Senate acquittals but it cemented her role as one of his most formidable adversaries.
At the time, Pelosi slammed Trump, saying he was “impeached for life. Per New York Post, she added, “There is nothing the Senate can do to ever erase that.”
Who can ever forget Pelosi standing behind Trump in 2020 and ripping up his State of the Union speech in as soon as he had delivered it.
Trump, on his part, never missrf an opportunity for showmanship. He spent years branding Pelosi as “Crazy Nancy.”
However, many also hailed Pelosi’s exit as the end of an era. President Biden stated, “I often said Nancy Pelosi was the best Speaker of the House in American history. It’s why I awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” His gracious words come despite Jill Biden feeling betrayed by Pelosi.
In truth, Pelosi’s retirement closes a triumphant, yet polarizing, career in American political service. Loved and loathed, she leaves a legacy that shaped the legislative and cultural battles of a generation.
For Trump, however, it’s another opportunity to rewrite the narrative.
