Pelosi wasted no time tearing into Trump’s speech. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi promptly ripped President Trump’s State of the Union speech in half at the conclusion of his annual address to Congress on Tuesday night. Prior to the speech, Trump had conspicuously avoided shaking hands with Pelosi — passing her his prepared remarks in a thick folder, but ignoring her outstretched hand.

After the president concluded his remarks, Speaker Pelosi stood up and tore Trump’s prepared text in half:

Asked why she literally ripped Trump’s speech afterwards, Pelosi later said that she did it because it was “the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative.”

Q: Why did you tear up the speech?



PELOSI: “Because it was the courteous thing to do.”



PELOSI: “It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative.” — Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 5, 2020

Or put another way:

Might as well have canceled Gov. Whitmer's response, after Pelosi gave the official one. — Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) February 5, 2020

Earlier in the day, Pelosi said that she and the president have not spoken since an infamous White House meeting on Syria in October during which Pelosi stood up and admonished the president, later saying that Trump had “a meltdown” at the meeting.