Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi says that former President Donald Trump looked like a "scared puppy" during his arraignment on felony charges in Washington, D.C.
Trump appeared in federal court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to all four counts concerning efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that followed.
Pelosi, a frequent thorn in Trump's side while serving as House speaker, said during an MSNBC interview on Friday that the ex-president was visibly "very concerned" about his fate while entering the courthouse to attend the hearing.
"I wasn't in the courtroom, of course, but when I saw [Trump] coming out of his car ... I saw a scared puppy," Pelosi said. "He looked very, very, very concerned about [his] fate. I didn't see any bravado, or confidence, or anything like that."
"He knows," she continued. "He knows the truth: That he lost the election, and now he's got to face the music."
When reached for comment, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek the following: "Is Nancy Pelosi still in congress? Nobody's heard from her much these days. I thought she retired."
Following a roughly 30-minute arraignment hearing on Thursday, Trump told reporters at Reagan National Airport that the charges against him were the "persecution of a political opponent," while also suggesting that the nation's capital had fallen into a state of "decay" since he left office.
Trump is also facing dozens of federal felony counts related to his post-presidency handling of classified documents and dozens of state felony counts accusing him of falsifying business records in New York. He could be sentenced to more than 500 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.
The ex-president, who continues to falsely claim that the 2020 election was "stolen" while seeking to retake the White House in 2024, has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges on which he's been arraigned.
Trump frequently refers to himself as a victim of "election interference" and says that all of his legal woes are the result of a politically motivated "witch hunt."
Pelosi, the first woman to ever serve as speaker of the House, remains in Congress but stepped down from Democratic leadership following the 2022 midterms, when Republicans won a slim majority and took control of the House.
Trump's contentious relationship with Pelosi lasted throughout his administration and beyond. Particularly tense moments included the pair trading insults in person at the White House, along with Pelosi's memorable tearing up of Trump's 2020 State of the Union speech.
The House under Pelosi's control impeached Trump twice, with the House January 6 committee later investigating the former president over the same issues for which he is now facing criminal charges, stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith's separate probe.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
