Nancy Pelosi says she could have said much worse after calling Trump ‘vile creature’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Democrat Rep Nancy Pelosi told CNN host Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, November 19, that she could have said “much worse” to President Donald Trump after she called him a “vile creature” and “the worst thing on the face of the Earth.”

The former House speaker, who will retire from Congress following the 2026 midterms, made the remarks about the POTUS earlier in November during another CNN interview.

Nancy Pelosi says remark was a euphemism

During the CNN interview on Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper reminded Nancy Pelosi of her previous comments: “One of the things you said recently in an interview, you said that President Trump is ‘a vile creature, the worst thing on the face of the Earth.’ Do you think he’s different now than he was in his first term?”

“By the way, I said that as a euphemism,” Pelosi replied. As Cooper waited for her to elaborate, she added, “I could have done much worse,” and laughed. 

Cooper pressed further, asking, “You could have said worse? Are there other adjectives you’d rather use?” Pelosi responded, “No, no, I want to talk about my house, the House Democrats, and how we’re going to win.”

Earlier in November, in an interview with CNN’s Elex Michaelson, Pelosi said of Trump, “He’s just a vile creature. The worst thing on the face of the Earth."

Michaelson asked, “You think he’s the worst thing on the face of the Earth?” Pelosi replied, “I do, yeah. I do. Because he’s the president of the United States and he does not honor the Constitution of the United States.”

She continued, “In fact, he’s turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court, he’s abolished the House of Representatives, he’s chilled the press, he’s scared people who are in our country legally.”

Donald Trump mocks Nancy Pelosi’s retirement from Congress

Donald Trump quickly mocked Nancy Pelosi’s retirement announcement, calling her decision to step down “a great thing for America.”

His remarks came on November 6, shortly after Pelosi said she would not seek re-election at the end of her term, ending nearly four decades in the House.

According to Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, Trump said, “The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America. She was evil, corrupt, and only focused on bad things for our country."

He added that Pelosi was “rapidly losing control of her party” and “was never coming back.” Trump said, “I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice. Nancy Pelosi is a highly overrated politician.”

Pelosi and Trump’s political clashes shaped much of Washington’s late 2010s and early 2020s. 

Pelosi led the House through two impeachment proceedings against Trump. The first, in 2019, focused on whether Trump withheld US aid to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden’s family. The second, in 2021, followed the January 6 Capitol attack, when Trump supporters stormed Congress as lawmakers prepared to certify Biden’s victory.

Pelosi accused Trump of inciting an insurrection and pushed for swift impeachment, while Trump dismissed the efforts as a “witch hunt.”