House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) got slightly heated during her weekly press conference Thursday when asked about ripping up a copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

During the question-and-answer portion of the press conference, the speaker was asked, "You often counsel new members to be dignified in their response to the president, take the high ground; did you step on that message by tearing up the state of the union?"

"No, I did not," Pelosi snapped back.

"I tore up a manifesto of mistruths. It is very hard to get you to talk about the issues that we are working on — H.R. 3, infrastructure and the rest," she continued while striking the podium with the side of her hand.

Pelosi went on to say that ripping up the speech "was necessary to get the attention of the American people, to say 'this is not true and this is how it affects you.' And I don't need any lessons from anybody, especially the president of the United States, about dignity."



After she ripped up a copy of the president's prepared address in the House chamber, video of the address later appeared to show her preparing for the big moment by making tiny tears in the paper ahead of time.

Pelosi also defended her actions by pointing to congressional Republicans' actions Tuesday evening and once again accusing the president of twisting the truth in his address.

"Is it OK to start saying 'four more years' in the House of Representatives?" the speaker continued, referring to a chant Republican members started during the Tuesday night address. "I mean, it's just unheard of."



"Is it unheard of for the president to insult people there who don't share his view as well as to misrepresent, present falsehoods — some would use the word 'lie'; I don't like to use the word 'lie' — about what he was saying," Pelosi concluded. "So, no, I think it was completely, entirely appropriate, and — considering some of the other exuberances within me — the courteous thing to do."