The White House and congressional Republicans condemned Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPowell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump's military controversies Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE (D-Calif.) for tearing up her copy of President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.

“Speaker Pelosi just ripped up: One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. The survival of a child born at 21 weeks. The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller. A service member's reunion with his family. That's her legacy,” the White House’s official account tweeted Tuesday evening.

The tweet was referencing several guests at the address, including family members of a man killed by an undocumented immigrant and an aid worker killed by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

ADVERTISEMENT

Speaker Pelosi just ripped up:



One of our last surviving Tuskegee Airmen.



The survival of a child born at 21 weeks.



The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller.



A service member's reunion with his family.



That's her legacy. — The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 5, 2020

Pelosi, who tore the speech in two and placed it on the dais after Trump concluded his address, later told reporters that ripping up the speech was "the courteous thing to do given the alternative." The moment followed Trump appearing to ignore Pelosi offering her hand before he began his remarks.

In addition to the White House, top congressional Republicans also blasted Pelosi, calling her actions "disgraceful" and "petty."

"How petty of Pelosi. Ripping up a piece of paper doesn't change the facts that were written on it — Americans are winning, in spite of the do-nothing Democrats," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthyDemocrats scramble on COVID-19 relief amid division, Trump surprise House GOP slated to unveil agenda ahead of election How Trump's false attacks on mail-in voting could backfire on him MORE (R-Calif.) tweeted.

"The tearing up of the speech at the end was just such bad form — it's exactly the opposite of what was the tone of the speech and the mood," he told the Hill. "It wasn't an overly partisan speech at all, it was about all of us together, America, and our better days and all of that. And so I just was really stunned when she did that, I couldn't believe it. This is a moment for leadership, we need to pull the country together and that's not the optic that we needed."

Updated at 12:16 a.m. on Feb. 5.