Trump, Pelosi in public spat
A BITTER feud between US President Donald Trump and top Democrat Nancy Pelosi boiled over at his State of the Union speech late on Tuesday, with Trump denying her a handshake and Pelosi ripping apart a copy of his remarks behind his back.
Trump avoided the subject of his impeachment drama in a pugnacious 80-minute speech. The Republican-led Senate was expected to acquit him of charges he abused his powers and obstructed Congress during a vote yesterday.
Seeing Pelosi, the US House of Representatives speaker, for the first time since she stormed out of a White House meeting four months ago, Trump declined to shake her outstretched hand as he gave her a paper copy of his remarks before starting to speak.
Pelosi appeared to be taken aback. When his speech ended, Pelosi stood and tore up her copy of the remarks he had handed her, later telling reporters it was “the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative”.
Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s campaign spokesperson, said of Pelosi: “Her hatred for @realdonaldtrump has blinded her to the repulsive nature of her smug, elitist behaviour.”
After the event, Pelosi tweeted a photo of her with her hand reaching out to Trump and said, “Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople. We will work to find common ground where we can, but will stand our ground where we cannot. #SOTU”
The tension was a sign that little legislative progress should be expected with the presidential election nine months away.
The impeachment case has intensified bitter feelings between Trump, a former reality TV star-turned conservative politician, and Pelosi, a California liberal, that have existed throughout his presidency. He routinely calls her “Crazy Nancy” at his campaign rallies.
As he began the speech, Republicans from both houses of Congress chanted “four more years” while he stood at the lectern in the chamber of the House. Democrats sat silently and some could be seen shaking their heads as Trump declared, “The state of our union is stronger than ever before”.
Pelosi, who dropped her opposition to impeachment and allowed Democratic lawmakers to seek the charges against him, sat stoically and grim-faced behind Trump and paged through a paper copy of his speech as he spoke.
Trump presented himself as a big improvement over Democratic President Barack Obama, whom he succeeded three years ago, saying he had bolstered US economic growth and increased jobs.
Trump offered an upbeat portrayal of his presidency in hopes of persuading Americans to give him another four-year term in the November 3 election.