‘She was evil, corrupt, and focused on bad things’: Donald Trump says Nancy Pelosi retirement is great thing for America

US President Donald Trump sharply reacted on Thursday after California Democrat Nancy Pelosi announced that she would retire from Congress at the end of her term.

“The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America. She was evil, corrupt, and only focused on bad things for our country,” Donald Trump said, according to Fox News.

“She was rapidly losing control of her party,” added the President.

Pelosi became the key foe of President Donald Trump in the later years of her career.

According to Bloomberg, Pelosi oversaw two impeachments during Trump's first term, and also grabbed headlines after ripping up a copy of the president’s State of the Union address while standing behind him on camera in 2020.

In a 2018 Oval Office meeting after Democrats won control of the House, she chided Trump, “not to characterise the strength that I bring to this meeting”.

During the 2021 assault on the US Capitol, supporters of then-president Trump ransacked her office, and a crowd baying for blood chanted “Where's Nancy?” as they desecrated the halls of Congress, reported AP.

Pelosi, the first woman to serve as US House speaker, led House Democrats for almost two decades.

She announced her retirement in a video posted on social media.

What did Nancy Pelosi say in a video message?

“We have made history. We have made progress. And now, we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear,” said Pelosi.

"Calling San Francisco as the greatest city on earth, with the most extraordinary people on earth and the place I will also believe is heaven on earth,” she added.

Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Democrat had played a key role in passing then-President Joe Biden's sweeping $1 trillion infrastructure bill in 2022. In 2024, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, by President Biden.

The 85-year-old is married to Paul Pelosi, a real estate and venture capital investor. She has five children and ten grandchildren.