Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to her spokesperson. Pelosi attended Trump’s inauguration in 2017 when she was the House Democratic leader, but the spokesman did not provide a reason for her decision to skip this year’s event.
Although she fractured her hip during an international trip to Luxembourg late last year, Pelosi returned to the Capitol for both the first day of the new Congress and the count of the electoral votes on January 6. Having attended 11 inaugurations, Pelosi has had the opportunity to meet with presidents at their swearing-in ceremonies, starting from her high school days when John F. Kennedy was inaugurated in 1961.
Pelosi has generally maintained cordial relationships with Republican presidents, especially George W. Bush, despite their differences over the Iraq War and Afghanistan.
However, her relationship with Trump has been marked by friction and public clashes, including heated exchanges in the Oval Office. Notable moments include her pointing a finger at him during a White House photo op and famously standing over his shoulder, ripping up his State of the Union address in 2020 in one of many petty acts against him.
Trump, in turn, has labeled Pelosi at his 2024 campaign rallies as “an enemy from within” and one of the nastiest people in Congress. “She’s a crooked person. She’s a bad person, evil. She’s an evil, sick, crazy,” Trump said before appearing to mouth the word “b*tch” “Oh no. It starts with a B– but I won’t say it. I want to say it. I want to say it,” Trump said about Pelosi at his final campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Meanwhile, despite Pelosi’s animosity, nearly 6 in 10 Americans believe Trump will perform a “good” job during his second term in the White House, according to a survey released Thursday. The new CNN poll found that 56 percent of respondents expect Trump to do a “very good” or “fairly good” job as president in his second term. In contrast, 43 percent said they believe he will be a “fairly poor” or “very poor” president.
Among respondents, 55 percent approve of the president-elect’s handling of his transition, while 45 percent disapprove. These numbers are unchanged from the December version of the survey. Trump’s favorability is nearly split, with 46 percent expressing a favorable view of him, while 48 percent view him unfavorably.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.