WASHINGTON, D.C. — And then she tore up the speech.
No sooner had President Donald Trump finished his State of the Union address than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped the paper it was printed on in two.
She did it right there, on camera, behind Trump’s back. As he stepped down, she ripped again. Then a third time. And a fourth.
In case any confusion remained, Pelosi held up what remained of the address to her family in the gallery, in full view of reporters.
Watch the moment below:
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"It was a manifesto of mistruths,” Pelosi told reporters as she left the Capitol. The ripping was not planned, according to a person close to the Democratic speaker who was unauthorized to speak publicly.
Republicans dismissed her display, on the eve of Trump’s anticipated acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, as a tantrum.
Vice President Mike Pence, who sat to Pelosi's right during the speech, said Wednesday that he did not see when she tore up the speech. He joined fellow Republicans in criticizing her behavior.
“I found out just a few moments later, and I think it was a new low,” he said Wednesday on "Fox & Friends.” “I wasn't sure if she was ripping up the speech or ripping up the Constitution.”
Pence accused Pelosi of trying to make the evening “about her and I think the American people see through it.”
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Tuesday night that Pelosi "might as well rip up any plans for attracting independent voters."
Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana added in a tweet Tuesday: “This speech was about American heroes and American workers. She decided THAT was worth literally tearing apart.”
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This story was provided by the Associated Press.