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Pelosi Accuses Trump Of Looking “Sedated” At State Of The Union

I have previously written that some Democrats appear to be adopting Trump-like tactics while denouncing Trump for the very same conduct. The trend is spreading with name calling and increasingly outlandish criticisms. The Democrats will not out-Trump Trump, but they will erase any distinction between them if this trend continues. That was evident yesterday when Speaker Nancy Pelosi not only expressed pride in shattering decades of tradition in her conduct at the State of the Union, but changing the role of the Speaker at the SOTU from a strictly neutral figure to an openly partisan one — a change that was widely celebrated by Democrats without any self-awareness at the hypocrisy of the position. Pelosi then added an entirely unexplained allegation that the President was drugged or medicated at the address to the two houses. The media again seemed relatively mild in the face of that allegation as well as the unprecedented conduct of Pelosi.

At her press conference (where she was barely challenged on abandonment of long-standing traditions at the State of the Union), Pelosi said that she did not take her action because of the President’s refusal to shake her hand. Instead she said that she extended her hand because she felt sorry for the President: “It was also an act of kindness because he looked to me like he was a little sedated. He looked that way last year too.”

It was a shocking and disturbing suggestion. If the Speaker believed that the President was using drugs, she has a duty to address the matter — not intentionally spread rumors or fuel speculation. It raises the abuse of Barry Goldwater by Democrats who spread rumors that he was mentally unstable and being treated for psychological issues.

If Pelosi has evidence supporting this allegation, she should make it public. It is unbecoming to her office and unfair to Trump to use a press conference to spread this rumor and then refuse to answer questions about the basis for the allegation.

Again, the silence of other Democrats in the face of such conduct by the Speaker is deafening. No Democratic member has stepped forward to denounce the Speaker’s demonstration at the SOTU or her obvious effort to spread an allegation that the President is under sedation. In the end, this will prove costly to the Democrats. While anti-Trump critics thrilled at Pelosi using the SOTU to degrade Trump, they have joined a race to the bottom that will only alienate many swing voters. No one who believes in the need for dignity and civility in government can support — or silently accept — the raw partisan conduct of Pelosi at the address.

I also criticized Trump’s address and his press conference the next day. However, Pelosi has her own obligations as the head of the House of Representatives, Trump’s inappropriate comments does not give her license to her “liberated” from historical or ethical rules of conduct. Those obligations attached to her office and are assumed by her when she took the office. We can either be a true Speaker or she should step down and become a mere partisan in the House.

138 thoughts on “Pelosi Accuses Trump Of Looking “Sedated” At State Of The Union”

  2. JT writes above:

    “I also criticized Trump’s address and his press conference the next day….”

    To repeat the GOP comment during one of Obama’s SOTU speeches, “You lie”

    No you haven’t. You’ve written 4 straight columns of selective outrage about Pelosi – to go with about the same number over the previous couple of weeks while ignoring the indecent lying bragging moral slob dominating our national politics, who also defouled a National Prayer Breakfast, a traditionally bipartisan event.

    Your reputation is shot at this point. I hope you enjoy Fox and Breitbart. That’s what you’re trying out for.

    1. I am not going to research it but my general sense of recollection is that the professor has been critical of the president a number of times. I do not always agree with him but I always count on his intellectual honesty, a quality that should not be unusual but has become increasingly rare of late.

      1. It doesn’t take research. The examples before you says it all. 4 columns with headlines in 3 days attacking Pelosi, with a footnote about Trump. I’m sorry but Pelosi does not dominate our national politics.Trump does and his behavior and low morals sets the tone, not Pelosi.

        1. Pelosi has been particularly nasty in the last few days so, of course, she would be featured. Trump does not pretend to be something other than he is. Pelosi does and that pretence is collapsing.

  3. With her (nancy’s) enemies lined up for her job, its no wonder that she acts like she is on Prozac most of the time. Who wouldn’t be? Booze or pills, pills or booze.
    1st she says impeachment will be bad for the country, then she authorizes an impeachment. Is her memory slipping? Poor, poor nancy. But she did this to herself!

  4. The country, no matter what side of this political hell you stand or sit, has been through a ton. Relationships have been strained to the nth degree and people don’t know who their real friends are. Political adversaries have more than one dog in this ‘fight’ so we can’t expect them to ‘turn the other cheek’ for a while, which is why I feel that we (John Q. Public) needs to be the adult in this (and other) room. When we are tempted to point a finger, say something defammatory to make a point, or ‘my dog in the fight is better than your dog-in the same fight’- please can we be the grown ups in the room?

  5. When are these accusations going to stop??!!! To accuse someone of mental illness or being under medication is appalling. We need to get back to normalcy.

  6. For the last 40 years, Democrats have been demeaning, smearing, and lying about conservatives, using the Press and late-night comedy to deliver the most horrid of blows. Conservatives and Republicans aren’t perfect but have not stooped to the vile methods of smearing that Dems have used (read Sharyll Atkisson to understand Dems tactics). Now President Trump is willing to step into the gutter with the Dems, while other Republicans took the blows without responding. I don’t love it but after 40 years, it was about time!

  7. WoW. Coming from a CNN commentator Jack Cafferty calls Nancy Pelosi a horrible person, her comment is really questionable. But then again, her
    clearly blatant narcissistic personality disorder fits her well! Her lack of empathy for others was on full display when POTUS introduced so many fine Americans, that she wouldn’t even look up toward them. She is certain (to) she will lose the speaker ship after this years election, that she doesn’t care what damage she does to the country and the American people. Or the few that look up to her (if there are any left).

    She knows that she will leave office as one of the most disgraced Speakers in modern history. So she is acting as a spoiled, soiled infant crying brat. What a friggin discrace and disgraced person she has become.
    You should watch this short clip about a CNN commentator calling her a horrible person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_i-vXZU7ZQ
    Yeah nancy, the shoe does fit!

  8. Interesting the rage over this observation (not an accusation) but crickets over Trump’s verbal assaults on a daily basis on Democrats and Dissenting Republicans alike. trump has accused Pelosi of much worse and even his allegedly neutral but demeaning comments are beyond inappropriate. But I’ve forgotten if the president does it it’s not only legal but some claim heaven sent.

  9. “Instead she said that she extended her hand because she felt sorry for the President: “It was also an act of kindness because he looked to me like he was a little sedated. He looked that way last year too.”
    *******************
    I’d take the considered medical opinion of an obvious teeth sucker to heart. Looks like she’s had a Xanax or six in her day. Maybe even that day. No, probably that day. Hyperventilating, mumbling to herself and then making little teeny tears in contemplation of her spontaneous act of resistance.

    She knew it wouldn’t be good that night. And it was worse than even she could have ever imagined. Honoring Tuskegee Airmen and their patriotic offspring, illegal migrant victims asking for a little justice, a little girl getting a chance in a country where Nancy says there are no chances for little girls and, wow, a military family being reunited from a war the Dims do love so. Who doesn’t need an edge softener after that kinda provocation??

  10. We need to be honest about this. The State of the Union was the night before the Senate was to vote to remove Donald Trump from the Presidency and Nancy Pelosi is solely responsible for it. He wasn’t sedated, he was troubled, yet he gave a magnificent address. Pelosi hates Trump and he knows it.

    1. It was only a “magnificent” address if you weren’t aware of all of the lies he told, especially his lying about the economy. And, since when is the SOTU supposed to be a dog and pony show wherein someone trots out people are have earned respect, like the Tuskeegee Airman and the soldier? Trying to tug at our heartstrings so we won’t think about all of the lies or about the way he tried to leverage military aid to an ally for political gain? The only success Trump has is as a showman. We need a leader who is a patriot, not someone who is willing to lie and cheat to get into the White House and stay there.

      1. Would you please enumerate the “lies” about the economy? Which “lies” were told?

        1. From yesterday’s post:

          Job growth was higher under Obama, the economy grew more under JFK, Obama and even Jimmy Carter, whom Trump loves to trash. Real wages, adjusted for inflation, rose more slowly under Trump (0.6%) versus Obama (1.1%). The GDP under Obama was statistically the same as Trump. Manufacturing is not booming: in fact, there has been a 5-month slump. Trump inherited a robust, booming economy from Obama, who turned around the worst economy since the Great Depression. Trump claims the economy he inherited was a mess, which is nothing but another lie. In fact, the trajectory of economic indicators under Trump is flattening. Trump’s claim about people going off food stamps implies that the reason is that they got good-paying jobs and don’t need this help, which is another lie. His administration simply changed the rules to qualify for SNAP benefits, thus cutting off large numbers of people Trump has NOT made history with the economy, and his attacks on Obama are simply fraudulent.

          Then, the lies about protecting pre-existing conditions, even though his administration is actively litigating striking down this part of the ACA. He lied about America becoming energy-independent under his Administration: that was Obama’s accomplishment. He also lied about wanting to control prescription drug prices: HR 3 has been gathering dust on McConnell’s desk because he won’t allow any Democratic proposals to become law, to provide fodder for the manufactured lie that Democrats are “do-nothing”. The USMCA is not substantially better than NAFTA, and would not have passed without Pelosi demanding protections for workers, yet Trump tries to brag about protecting blue collar workers, and gave Pelosi no credit. He also exaggerates the alleged shortcomings of NAFTA and the alleged benefits of USMCA.

          Again, I say, in the face of these lies, should the Speaker of the House treat the paper they are written on with respect?

            2. “The Trump vs. Obama economy — in 15 charts”

              https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/20/trump-v-obama-economy-charts/

              Here’s a look at the Trump economy vs. the Obama economy in 15 charts.

              1. Job gains. The U.S. economy typically added more than 250,000 jobs each month in 2014 and 227,000 a month in 2015. Trump has not been able to top that yet, but experts say job growth remains surprisingly robust, especially given how many baby boomers are retiring and how many business owners complain they can’t find any more workers.

              2. Unemployment rate. The nation’s unemployment rate is at a half-century low, a source of pride for Trump. But many economists have pointed out that the rate has been falling steadily since 2011, making it difficult to see much difference after Trump took office.

              3. Growth. After a painful 2009, the economy has been growing for a decade. In the early years of the recovery, growth was lackluster, but it started to pick up in 2014 and 2015. Trump told America he could do even better as president, but his record so far looks similar to Obama’s final few years in office. While his tax cut and deregulatory push boosted growth in 2018, that appears to be fading as business owners grow concerned about the trade war.

              4. Middle-class income. Most Americans saw a noticeable decline in their income during the Great Recession, and it took years for wages to recover. In 2017, a typical middle-class family finally saw their income climb above where it was in 1999. (Data for 2018 will be released in September.) Incomes have been rising steadily in recent years as more Americans get jobs.

              5. Stock market. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 46 percent at this point in Obama’s presidency vs. 25 percent for Trump. Stocks soared under Obama, and he ended his White House tenure with one of the best gains of any president in modern history. Trump started out with a lot of love from Wall Street as well, especially with his tax cut, but stocks have moved sideways since he began his trade war.

              6. Food stamps. About 1 out of 7 Americans received food stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in 2013 in the aftermath of the Great Recession, as people struggled to find good-paying jobs again. The numbers came down slightly under Obama, and the decline has accelerated under Trump as more Americans have obtained jobs and the requirements to remain on food stamps have tightened.

              7. Manufacturing. Trump campaigned heavily on reviving blue-collar industries and jobs. While service-sector jobs in health care, technology and hospitality rebounded quickly after the Great Recession, manufacturing did not. Trump’s tax cuts helped boost manufacturing in 2018 (blue-collar job growth hit the fastest pace since the early 1980s), but the president’s tariffs have since taken a toll, sending manufacturing into a “technical recession” in 2019.

              8. Home prices. The housing market was at the heart of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, and many Americans lost their homes or watched the value of their homes plummet. Home prices bounced back at the end of Obama’s term and have continued a steady climb under Trump.

              9. Gas prices. Americans keep a close eye on gas prices and tend to get nervous when it climbs above $3 a gallon nationally, but for much of Obama’s second term and Trump’s first term, gas prices have remained under that key threshold.

              10. Federal debt. The national debt swelled under Obama as the federal government spent money trying to rebuild the economy after the Great Recession. At the end of Obama’s term, the annual deficit had declined considerably, but it has since jumped up again under Trump because of his tax cut and increased government spending.

              11. Wages. For much of Obama’s time in office, wages remained subdued, and his economic team cited lackluster wager gains as the “unfinished business” of his presidency. Under Trump, average hourly pay has climbed and is now growing more than 3 percent a year for the first time in more than a decade. There’s debate about how much credit Trump deserves for this, but his tax cuts and the jump in business optimism probably played a role. Concern is rising, however, that wage growth is stalling in 2019.

              12. Consumer confidence. Confidence in the economy has jumped since Trump’s election. This is an area where there has been a clear break from Obama, although experts debate how much of a difference it has made. Normally when confidence rises, businesses and consumers spend more, but that hasn’t been the case, especially for businesses. Still, high confidence is probably playing a role in keeping the United States out of a recession, even as other parts of the world falter.

              13. Trade deficit. The United States has purchased more from overseas than it has sold abroad for years, a situation known as a trade deficit. The trade deficit declined during the Great Recession but has since expanded, which is typically a sign that the U.S. economy is growing robustly. Trump campaigned on bringing the trade deficit down, but it has grown during his tenure.

              14. Uninsured Americans. One of Obama’s key policy goals was to get more Americans health insurance. The number of people without health insurance fell noticeably during his tenure after the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Progress has since stalled under Trump, who attempted (unsuccessfully) to repeal Obamacare.

              15. Business investment. Trump and his advisers said the goal of the GOP tax cuts was to encourage businesses to spend and invest more in new equipment and factories, which would then help boost the economy in years to come. While there was a slight bounce in business spending in early 2018, it has since plunged (even turning negative in the spring of 2019), largely because of the trade war.

              1. A reminder for you Anonymous —> ‘the economy was stagnating in 2016 after the weakest recovery from a recession since the Great Depression.

                In fact, The New York Times itself described Obama’s economy this way in August 2016: “For three quarters in a row, the growth rate of the economy has hovered around a mere 1%. In the last quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, the economy expanded at feeble annual rates of 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively. The initial reading for the second quarter of this year, released on Friday, was a disappointing 1.2%.”….

                …GDP growth decelerated in each of the last three quarters of 2016.

                And on January 27, 2017, after the government reported that GDP growth for all 2016 was a mere 1.6% — the weakest in five years — the Times announced that “President Trump’s target for economic growth just got a little more distant.”

                That same month, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast growth this year would be just 1.9%.

                There were other signs of stagnation as well. Stocks had flatlined in 2016, with major indexes down slightly. Real median household income dropped that year, according to Sentier Research.

                Growth had been so worrisomely slow throughout Obama’s two terms in office that journalists started warning about “secular stagnation.” They said the country was in a period of long, sustained, slow growth resulting from slow population and productivity growth.

                In August 2016, the Times declared that “the underlying reality of low growth will haunt whoever wins the White House.”

                but wait! there’s more….

                “The next month, CBS News reported that “with U.S. economic growth stuck in low gear for several years, it’s leading many economists to worry that the country has entered a prolonged period where any expansion will be weaker than it has been in the past.”

                In short, there was no upward trajectory to the economy on anyone’s radar when Trump took office.

                Now that the economy is outperforming everyone’s expectations, Trump’s critics want to pretend that the current boom was already baked in the cake.

                We are the first to admit that the impact of federal policies take time to show up in the economy. But the fact is that optimism surged across the board as soon as pro-growth Trump won the election over stay-the-stagnant-course Hillary Clinton.

                Now, after Trump’s deregulation and tax cuts are starting to take effect, we’re seeing still more signs of stronger growth.

                Polls show that the public gives Trump credit for what’s going on today. They, not the mainstream press, have it right.”

                Investors Business Daily

                2. About the editorial posted by “Smart Anonymous”…

                  https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/investors-business-daily/

                  Investors Business Daily – Media Bias/Fact Check

                  Investors Business Daily – Right Bias – Conservative – Republican – Not Credible … These media sources are moderately to strongly biased toward conservative…

                  …editorially IBT is clearly a Questionable source with promotion of right wing conspiracy theories and numerous failed fact checks. In sum, we rate them far right biased and Mixed for factual reporting. (6/14/2016) Updated (D. Van Zandt 8/14/2018)

                  A factual search reveals numerous failed fact checks by IFCN fact checkers. Here are a few of the many we found:

                  IBD editorial board claims that cap-and-trade is unpopular in America – FALSE

                  Private health insurance not banned on page 16 of the House bill – PANTS ON FIRE

                  Investor’s Business Daily editorial misrepresents study to claim plants will prevent dangerous climate change – FALSE

                  Was it recently revealed that the U.S. found uranium in Iraq after the invasion in 2003 – FALSE

            3. Real wages, adjusted for inflation, rose more slowly under Trump (0.6%) versus Obama (1.1%).

              1. Nominal employee compensation per worker stood at $56,000 per annum in the 1st q of 2009 and $67,120 in the 1st q of 2017. The increase in consumer purchasing power was 6.0%, or 0.73% per year.

              –As of the 4th q of 2019, nominal compensation per worker stood at $74,100 per annum. The increase in real purchasing power was 5.4%, or 2.0% per year.

              2. As for employment growth, between December 2009 and January 2017, the number of employed persons in this country grew by 10.2%, or 1.38% per year. Between January of 2017 and January of 2020, the number of employed persons grew by 4.34%, or 1.42% per year. You’ll note the starting point is the trough of the labor market, not Obama’s inauguration. That’s a mulligan for you.

              –Note also the change in the employment-to-population ratio. It went from 0.583 in December 2009 to 0.599 in January 2017. The odds of a person over the age of 16 being employed went from 1.398 to 1.494. The increase in odds was 1.068 over the whole period, or 1.0094 per year. As of January 2020, the employment to population ratio stood at 0.612 and the odds of a person over 16 being employed were 1.5773. This ratio has increased by 1.056 over 3 years, or 1.0183 per year. Which is to say, twice as rapidly.

              The data on compensation are available from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and that for employed persons and the employment-to-population ratio from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

              No, the actual numbers won’t induce you to stop lying.

  13. I agree wholeheartedly with your post with one exception: Democrats haven’t “joined” a race to the bottom, they the ARE the race to the bottom.

    Also, that last paragraph? Just, horrendous!

  15. Sorry Pelosi was always nasty
    If you look at the conditions in DC before Pelosi was a leader there is a big difference

    She treated Bush the same way after Obama was inaugurated she said of Bush the anvil has been lifted from DC

    Her problem, she hates Republicans and has a hard time dealing with them, she exerts no bipartisanship at aĺl

    All she cares about is power, hers.

    Does anyone know if she was involved in the fake Russian investigation
    Most likely Schiff was, and she has appointed Schiff as head of intel committee

    Lots we don’t know, but one thing is, she does whatever Soros tells her to do

    She an utter disgrace

  16. Prof. Turley, you said, “No Democratic member has stepped forward to denounce the Speaker’s demonstration at the SOTU or her obvious effort to spread an allegation that the President is under sedation..”

    And what exactly did you expect??? The Democrats have not even denounced the Democratic violence at Trump rallies in 2016. Or Antifa. Or even Joe and Hunter Biden for obvious influence peddling. Or Hillary Clinton for running a multi-billion dollar slush fund while she was the Secretary of State, and shaping foreign policy. I mean CRAP, she was the Secretary of State and her “foundation” was taking $100+ Million “gifts.” And what did the Democrats do? They nominated her for President.

    If you are still expecting decency, morality, common-sense, or any consistency from issue to issue, then something is wrong with your thinking processes. The Democrats are a mob. Pure and simple, and the only criteria for them is whether or not something helps the Democrats or hurts the Democrats.

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

  17. The type of sophistry in our political climate is not quite the same as ancient Greece, where the sophists had no political beliefs of their own, but sold their rhetorical shills to the highest bidder. Nowadays, any rhetorical fallacies are used to advance ideology or at least partisan supremacy. Modern day sophists actually convince themselves of the rightness of the definition of what is going on and the validity of the arguments they make. They perhaps are not even consciously doing it . Partisanship is so bad now that a black hole metaphor could be used, where partisans “fall” without effort into extreme versions of beliefs and arguments. This “falling” requires no effort ,but is much like gravity that is simply inertia. ( Thinkers call this “mass-man, the “herd”, group think and so on). Black holes have event horizons where there is no escape, but we hope that even the diehard partisan can return to more balanced views. If not they continue to accelerate into the “singularity” of extreme hate and absolute certainty of their positions.

  18. I love yr urbane, intelligent perspective and of course there is much with T’s behavior to criticize. On the other hand, he’s the first Republican in the modern era to fight back against extremely unfair and often rabid attacks which conservatives undergo all the time. There is no nice, dignified way to do this just as there is no nice, dignified situation for them in the public sphere.

    Furthermore, Trump has been the victim of the most outrageous, indeed treasonous, series of false accusations which have greatly hampered him personally and politically, and his family get no credit for the abuse they endure and the self-imposed no-growth policy they have set regarding family real estate holdings.

    The man has been unjustly accused. He knows that but most of the country believes he is as bad as the twisted media say. In JT’s world Presidents behave themselves with restraint and decorum. The only problem is: JT’s world doesn’t actually exist any more, and conservatives who insist on functioning as if it does are doomed to fail in the political arena. Trump is a doer. He did not win the Presidency to simply be nice and get nothing done.

    He is right to push back. Imo he should do so less with Twitter and more with prosecutions, but the system – including the Courts – is rigged and it will be some time before he could succeed, albeit signs are that maybe soon, finally, there are going to be some indictments coming down. Whether they will be enough to change the culture, to ‘drain the swamp’ remains to be seen, but most likely not. DC has been a cesspit of corruption for decades now, and it’s probably not going to change all that much in eight years. But Trump has already demonstrated his ability to beat the odds and achieve a surprising amount in a short period of time, and so hopefully he will surprise again at this swamp-draining business.

    Meanwhile, his opponents fight really dirty though everyone likes to ignore it. And so he will fight back.

    Get used to it!

  19. Ms. Pelosi is intent on reaffirming her status as the resident guttersnipe.

    I doubt that strategy will win over many independents.

    Plus there are many Democrats who will accept the challenge of a race to the bottom.

  20. Um, some democrats? They have as a whole completely lost their minds since 2016. I respect JT tremendously and always will, but it must be getting tough breathing in all that sand. Come on, man.

    1. Every time I feel that Trump has demeaned the public discourse to the point that I cannot i. Good conscience support his re-election, the Democrats take it to new low.
      Despite the good economy and relative peace, I could be easily convinced to vote against an effective president if his/her character was of such low caliber that a change needs to be made. The problem arises when the alternative tries to see if it can outdo his crassness and vulgarity. At that point, decorum and decency are off the table and performance is the determining factor.
      A few Democrats like Delaney (now gone) and Yang, seem to be able to resist the siren call to spiteful conduct but the remainders like Pete, Bloomberg, and Biden, are such panderers that they will be pulled into the vortex.
      Since Gary Johnson is not running again, I will have to hold my nose and vote Trump.

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