Nancy Pelosi ignited a political firestorm Monday after calling President Donald Trump a “vile creature” during an interview with CNN’s Elex Michaelson — a remark that immediately drew sharp backlash online.
“He’s just a vile creature, the worst thing on the face of the earth,” Pelosi said when asked about Trump, doubling down when pressed: “I do, yeah, I do.” She claimed her reasoning stemmed from what she described as Trump’s disregard for the Constitution. “He’s turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court. He’s abolished the House of Representatives, he’s chilled the press, he’s scared people who are in the country legally.”
The comments quickly went viral, sparking outrage from conservatives who accused Pelosi of fueling divisive rhetoric. “More dehumanizing Democrat language about Republicans,” wrote NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen on X. Piers Morgan mocked the claim, asking if Pelosi thought Trump was “worse than Hamas terrorists? Iranian mullahs? Putin? Jong-Un?” He added, “Democrat dinosaurs like Pelosi don’t know anything but over-demonising Trump. It’s why they’re polling so badly.”
Others, like Fox News contributor Steve Cortes, called the remarks proof of “an unbridgeable gap” between the two parties. “We just have to win,” he wrote. Meanwhile, a Trump White House account posted, “Very sad to see what little was left of her addled, demented mind evaporate as she becomes fully engulfed in hatred. Sick!”
Pelosi’s office responded indirectly, sending Fox News Digital a screenshot of a Newsweek headline reading, “Trump Launches Attack on Nancy Pelosi: Disgusting Degenerate,” implying Trump had used similar language against her.
The uproar also came amid speculation about Pelosi’s political future. NBC News reported she’s expected to make an announcement after Election Day, with some insiders predicting she’ll retire at the end of her term. Her spokesperson Ian Krager, however, said she remains focused on the Democrats’ “Yes on 50” campaign in California, aimed at reshaping the state’s congressional map.
“Speaker Pelosi is fully focused on her mission to win the Yes on 50 special election,” Krager said. “She urges all Californians to join in that mission on the path to taking back the House for the Democrats.”