ANALYSIS — The last time Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped her copy of his speech into pieces.
While the speaker emerita won’t be seated behind him during his return to the House chamber Tuesday night, fireworks are likely. Trump’s four appearances in the chamber during his first term were all memorable, as Republicans showered him with thunderous cheers and Democrats booed — if they didn’t skip the events in protest. But while Trump asked Congress for major legislation on hot-button issues in his past speeches, few such measures made it to his desk.
Trump’s most recent joint address took place on Feb. 4, 2020, a little over a month before COVID-19 altered the course of his first term and shut down much of the world. He began the night seeming to refuse to shake hands with Pelosi, the speaker of the then-Democratic House. As he spoke, she sat just over his left shoulder, shaking her head or waving an index finger dismissively at times. A Pelosi aide later told reporters the speaker tore Trump’s speech because it was “the courteous thing to do … considering the alternative.” Pelosi, via the aide, did not elaborate.
