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On at least two occasions, though, when Trump’s words brought groans and grumbling from Democrats, Pelosi applied the brakes with a subtle raise of her hand signalling to them to pipe down.

The standoff between Trump and Pelosi has been the dominant narrative of the new era of divided government in Washington. With Democrats in control of the House, Pelosi has used her power as speaker to confront the president and assert congressional authority. The dynamic was central to the 35-day government shutdown that ended only when Trump backed down in the face of Pelosi’s resistance to his demands for money to build a border wall.

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As speaker, it was Pelosi’s prerogative to invite the president to deliver his State of the Union address and preside over the event, sitting just behind Trump on the rostrum of the House chamber.

Despite the political rancour, Democrats largely remained polite and disciplined throughout the speech — though frequently exchanging looks when Trump said something potentially provoking.

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Not all of the reactions to Trump’s words from Pelosi and Democrats were disapproving. The record number of women in the House, overwhelmingly Democrats, stood and broke into cheers when Trump cited the record number of women in the workforce in the U.S.

The reaction seemed to take him by surprise. “You weren’t supposed to do that. Thank you very much. Thank you very much,” he said.

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Warming to the idea of cheers from Democrats amid the partisan bitterness that marked most of this year, Trump said: “Don’t sit yet. You’re going to like this.”