Despite this and the many other important points discussed in the address, there were two moments that seemed to stand out most to the general public. One of which occurred before the speaking even began. Upon the president's entrance, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, extended her hand in an effort to greet the president- but she was not given the same courtesy. Instead, it appeared as though President Trump blatantly ignored her offer and turned around with no further acknowledgment. This was later followed by what some may call a rebellious act by Pelosi. After President Trump concluded his Union address Pelosi gathered her copy of his speech and proceeded to hold it out in front of her and rip it in half. To a completely unbiased eye, this action would most likely be perceived as disrespectful. But, according to Pelosi herself, it was "the courteous thing to do". These unconventional events serve as grounds for American citizens to wonder what exactly comes next?
Discussion Questions:
1. Why exactly do you think President Trump would deliberately deny Pelosi's handshake knowing it would be seen on such a large scale platform?
2. Was Pelosi's action of ripping the speech justified, or did it take things too far?
3. How do you think these events will affect the atmosphere of future American political events in which Pelosi and Trump must work together?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51381625
To answer question 2, Pelosi's ripping of Trump's speech was, although unprofessional, in retaliation to Trump's actions, and thus is justifiable. Trump's actions display a certain see of indifference, or arrogance on his part. Given this, Pelosi still attempted to be polite and shake his hand, out of respect for his accomplishments, without her personal bias interfering. Trump's rejection of the handshake is, in a sense, just to disrespect her. This justifies the ripping of the copy of the speech.
ReplyDeleteFor question 1, Trump might have denied Pelosi's handshake as a way to show his disrespect for her, as she was the one that instigated the impeachment proceedings, which obviously made Trump upset. Because of this, Trump wants to essentially have his revenge on her, by ignoring her. In addition, this could be Trumps way to show his want for superiority over the republicans by acting in this behavior.
ReplyDeleteI think that Trump denied Pelosi's handshake even though it would be seen on a large scale platform because he wanted to get his point through that he opposed of Pelosi and the democratic party. I think that Pelosi's action is not justified because even if she may be against Trump's ideals and his presidency, he is the president and what she ripped up was his speech that he had stated, where in a way what she did was very disrespectful and irrational. This may create a tense atmosphere between the two and make it hard for the two to work together.
ReplyDeleteQuestion One: Trump ignores Pelosi's handshake in an effort to demean her. Trump is upset about his impeachment trials and his authority being challenged. Speaker, Nancy Pelosi was the one who questioned his motives as president and therefore kicked off the impeachment hearings.
ReplyDeletePelosi ripping up Trump's SOTU was completely justified because the entire thing is full of lies and a false narrative constructed by Trump. She attempted to be civil and shake his hand, and Trump disrespectfully denied her by ignoring her. So in return, Pelosi disrespected his presidency and his pompous attitude.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Trump would deny Pelosi's handshake on such a large scale to show both her and the millions of Americans watching, the clear conflict that has manifested between them - Trump has been known for big and bold statements that are often controversial, so this is just another one of those, by openly defying the Speaker of the House's peaceful handshake. Pelosi responded to this bold act with an act of her own at the end of the speech, by ripping up her copy of the speech - this is the same idea, where she feels that a bold move is necessary to show her clear disapproval of both Trump and his policies; I feel that her act was justified because an act as "disrespectful" as hers was needed to showcase the level at which Pelosi disagrees and hates Trump's ideas, and how others watching at home should as well. I believe that these events will only add to the already high tensions between Pelosi and Trump.
ReplyDeleteI think that the rason trump denied her handshake is because of how war like politics have become. Everything is democrats vs republicans and in votes basically every senator just votes based off their party making it so whichever party holds the majority will win. Also it is widely known that Trump and Pelosi very much dislike each other, they have called each other out many times, and with Pelosi leading the impeachment movement their relationship has only become worse. I believe that her ripping his speech was a direct reaction to him not shaking her hand. If he had shaken her hand I think she would never have ripped up his speech. These actions will only make things worse and I think the relationship between democrats and republicans will continue to get worse until a massive event like a war happens bringing them together.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Trump denied Pelosi’s handshake to make a public gesture. In a way, he was essentially saying that he didn’t agree with her ideals. But by doing this, he was also causing drama, something that he seems to attract a lot of. I believe that both Trump and Pelosi’s actions were unjustified. Even if they had personal issues, they must provide a united front to the American people--a move that will allow the people to believe in the government a little more. Because of these events, the atmosphere when they must work together will definitely be a little more tense, but I feel like it has already been that way. I do feel like they will not work well together and may even make moves to prove the other wrong instead of doing what's best for the American people.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump made that gesture just to show the American people that he and Pelosi have a conflict. He knew exactly what he was doing, and its effect on the media. I think Pelosi ripping the speech was justified, because she was showing that Trump's ideals are not the same as hers, and that she believe in his power as president.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump didn't shake Nancy Pelosi's hand because of the conclusion of his Impeachment trial. Since Nancy Pelosi led the impeachment trial, Trump may still have some animosity towards her. I think Nancy Pelosi was within her right to tear Trump's speech. Both of them have different views on politics and she wasn't disrupting the speech.
ReplyDeleteQ1: As far as Donald Trump denying her handshake, I do not believe he did this on purpose. If you watch the video of the failed handshake, it did not seem as disrespectful as it did oblivious. However, it is not difficult for one to believe that we would do something as stubborn and immature as this given his history. Did he deserve it? I believe so. It was an odd statement, and while it was likely unplanned and emotionally driven, it basically said what most Americans are thinking. Go on reddit, for example. Right now she's a hero!
ReplyDeletePresident Trump would deny Speaker Pelosi's handshake on such a large stage to send a message to Republicans that they will not compromise/give in to the Democrats. Trump wants to maintain strong Republican Party values such as independence, and believes the best and most constructive way of doing so is by dodging Speaker Pelosi's handshake.
ReplyDeleteI think that both the refusal of the handshake and the ripping up of the speech were dramatic gestures packed with behind-the-scenes meaning. To a casual observer, both sides appear to be very disrespectful to each other, but after understanding more of the context (the 2020 presidential race, the heightened tensions between Democrats and Republicans, etc), it is understandable. Of course, it could also have simply been done for media attention.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that Trump's refusal to shake Pelosi's hand was a tad dramatic, but not completely out of character for him due to his reputation beforehand. It may have been a way to inform viewers that he is in power and controls his own actions. Also, it exemplifies the animosity that is between the two. Furthermore, Pelosi ripping up the speech was also dramatic, but being publicly belittled is embarrassing and mortifying; thus, her actions are partially justified, but her rebellion could have been on a smaller scale. It would undeniably strain the relation between the two, causing a lot of disagreements with different affairs/topics.
ReplyDeleteWhether Trump meant to deny her handshake or not, everything in politics will be taken to the extreme with many underlying meanings. A gesture so small as not shaking someone's hand, given context, can be seen as an act of rudeness. this can range to so much as ripping up a speech. I thought that both acts were disrespectful but not surprising considering the events leading up to his address. If Pelosi was trying to get a point across, it was for sure made. I believe though that it could have been done in a more mature manner. On their own both gestures are not justified but, like I said before, given the previous animosity between the two, it almost makes sense in this situation why the two would be so passive aggressive.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason Trump chose to ignore pelosi´s handshake may because he doesnt have respect for her, and wanted the entirety of america to see it. I also belive this is also an example of the underlying problem of us polarization in politics which may lead to more civil unrest in america.
ReplyDeleteAll of this drama during the State of the Union address served as a manner to worsen the already worsening conditions of our current politics. Nancy Pelosi, depending on which perspective you are considering her actions from, may or may not have been justified to have ripped the speech. If Pelosi solely ripped the speech for the purposes of proving a point after Trump denied her a handshake, then this actions was quite petty and childish in fact. However, if she was ripping the speech up because of her disgust of the lies told in the speech and how strongly she disagreed with much of what was said, this action is more justified. Regardless, both Trump's and Pelosi's actions served to polarize the political environment further.
ReplyDeletePresident Trump's action to not shake Nancy Pelosi's hand was justified. Nancy Pelosi has been trying to impeach Trump for a long time, even though President Trump is and was innocent. In the eyes of many US citizens, Nancy Pelosi is a scammer who is trying to feed the people with the lies that the President should be impeached. Nancy Pelosi should also expect that the POTUS would not show her courtesy that evening, because she did not show the President courtesy in the beginning. She planned out everything she was going to do that evening to create drama. While introducing the President, she said,"the president of the United States" instead of the formal and respectful introduction of, "my distinct honor and personal privilege to introduce the president of the United States." This would obviously make Trump mad, because he was not show the respect he deserved. Nancy P. proceded by extending her hand for Trump to shake, because she knew that Trump would not shake her hand in an angry state. She planned out everything. She wanted Trump to look like the one who started the drama, because many Americans do not realize that she should have introduced the President with "my distinct honor and personal privilege to introduce the president of the United States."
ReplyDeleteNancy Pelosi's action to tear the State of the Union adress was not justified. She was merely trying to make a scene and create drama with this action that she planned out. She has shown a high degree of disrespect. Her actions should not be supported. She claims that everything in Trump's state of the union adress was false, although Trumps speech was true. President Trump has been working hard to make the US prosperous and undue the bad things done by the Obama Administration. During Obama's time as President, the employment rates in the US peaked. During Trumps time as President, the employment rates in the US have been at an all time low of 3%. President Trump should be appreciated for the hard work he has put in to fix the country, and he should not be shown the disrespect that Nancy Pelosi has shown.
ReplyDeleteTrump did this mainly because Pelosi has been trying to impeach him, along with other democrats. Although this obviously wasn't the right thing to do, it was pretty entertaining to see from a non-bias standpoint. Although Trump had already disrespected her, she didn't have to retaliate the way she did. If she hadn't done anything, the media would have criticized Trump more instead of her. They should try to move on and remember that they are both serving for America, not themselves or their followers. It could make things more complicated, but hopefully they can both come to terms. Trump didn't shake her hand, knowing he was going to get a response from the media. That's just his character, he wants you to remember who's in charge.
ReplyDelete1. It is evident to me that Trump's behavior throughout his presidency has been based on emotion. Because of this, I believe that he saw the avoidance of Pelosi as the right thing to do. While Pelosi's offering of welcome was belated and very reserved, it was an understandable response based on our nation's current political situation. We live in an extremely polarizing time in which there is an evident divide between our nation's parties. Trump and Pelosi's actions appear to be a representation of our nation's current political situation and reinforces the popular belief that he is the most polarizing president in our nation's history.
ReplyDelete2. While Trump's action was rude, Pelosi's response was completely unprofessional and she shouldn't have permitted Trump's mannerisms to get under her skin. It is clear that Pelosi is an experienced politician and passionate about the United States' future and she will undoubtably be upset at the direction of our nation's politics. Having watched a section of Trump's speech, it is understandable that his partisan rhetoric would have caused her great frustration. This was evident to viewers of the broadcast who would have been aware of Pelosi's suffering throughout the speech. Despite this, an unsporting response to the matter only reflects poorly upon her judgement and is an uncharacteristic display.
I think Trump ignored Pelosi's hand most likely because she was trying to impeach him an his dislike of that was seen from her denied handshake. Trump's actions were very unprofessional and obviously rude but it was also unprofessional on Pelosi's side to rip up her copy of the speech.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Trump did not shake Pelosi's hand in order to make a big issue in the media. At this point, Politics has just become a popularity contest, with each politician trying to make the most noise. The Impeachment Trials were about how Trump withheld aid from Ukraine. Many members of Trump's party have admitted that Trump commited the crimes. Trump goes back between he didn't do it and if it was illegal. His impeachment was acquitted just because there are more Republicans in the vote. These actions are very childish and disappointing, because these are the people leading the United States.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Pelosi's actions was unprofessional but in replies to Trump's actions I think it was justifiable because the entire speech was full of cover ups and lies made by Trump.
ReplyDeleteI think both Trump's and Pelosi's actions were quite unprofessional in this situation. As the president of the United States and Speaker of the House, these two people are supposed to represent the American people; today, however, their passive aggression and pettiness represented us badly. It is obviously understandable why Trump didn't shake Pelosi's hand and why Pelosi tore up his speech, considering Pelosi is trying to impeach him.
ReplyDelete