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Nancy Pelosi's withering reactions to Trump's State of the Union address are going viral

Feb 6, 2019, 19:11 IST

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House speaker Nancy Pelosi claps for President Donald Trump as he delivers his State of the Union on February 5, 2019.Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had some subtle reactions to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address - and the internet noticed.
  • Pelosi spent more of the time politely smiling, but some of her movements went viral.
  • The main one is her applause for Trump when he called for an end to "revenge politics."
  • Pelosi raised her eyebrows and looked directly at the president who had turned around to face her as she clapped, and now it has become a meme.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's dismissive reactions to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address have started to go viral.

Pelosi was sitting behind Trump for the 82-minute speech, meaning many TV cameras recording the speech captured her reactions right over Trump's shoulder.

People online eagerly shared images of Pelosi pursing her lips, raising her eyebrows, and interacting with Democrats in the crowd in a way that detracted from Trump's message.

Perhaps the most widely-appreciated moment was a mocking round of applause Pelosi gave to Trump early in the speech.

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Read more: The most powerful moment at the State of the Union was a win for Democrats that Trump had no control over

This is the moment:

The internet saw it as both withering and sarcastic.

And others have turned it into a meme.

Pelosi also spent a lot of time looking at a stack of large papers in front of her, rather than the president.

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Nancy Pelosi looks at paper as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Pelosi was reading a copy of Trump's speech, a spokesperson told The New York Times.

Pelosi's subtle interactions with Democrats in the crowd also got widespread attention.

At one point she held up a hand to try to quiet Democrats who jeered as Trump as he spoke about "migrant caravans."

Another time she encouraged Democrats to get up and cheer when Trump referenced the record number of women in Congress.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures to fellow Democrats as President Donald Trump acknowledges women in Congress during his State of the Union address.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Many also noted Pelosi's eye roll when Trump referred to investigations like special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe as "ridiculous, partisan investigations."

While there were moments of clear unity between Trump and Pelosi two during the address, Pelosi's statement after the speech called on Trump to change his priorities.

She said that it would take "days to fact-check all the misrepresentations that the President made" and accused him of "fear-mongering and manufacturing a crisis at the border."

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shakes hands with President Donald Trump as he enters to deliver his State of the Union address.Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool

Pelosi praised some of Trump's promises, particularly around healthcare, but questioned how he would achieve them.

In an echo of Trump's calls for unity, Pelosi said that Trump "must now take concrete steps to work with Democrats to strengthen the health and economic security of families across America."

Read more State of the Union coverage:

Trump leans into fear-based rhetoric on immigration in State of the Union as he pressures Democrats for wall funding

The 'future' of the Democratic Party, Stacey Abrams, made her national debut in the party's response to Trump's State of the Union

Bernie Sanders called Trump's State of the Union address 'racist' and said he's trying to 'divide us up'

Tiffany Trump wears white outfit to State of the Union address after Democrats encourage others to wear white in honor of women's suffrage

Trump calls for an end to 'politics of revenge' as he slammed his political opponents in State of the Union address

Trump uses State of the Union to announce venue, dates for second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un

Trump took a veiled jab at the investigations into him during his State of the Union address - and some are drawing a Nixon parallel

The complete history of the US State of the Union address

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