The weird hatred of Nancy Pelosi

"Crazy Nancy Pelosi", "Nervous Nancy", "Sick Nancy" - the USA has known these derogatory nicknames for years. Donald Trump attacks the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives either as crazy, excited or sick. Trump has repeatedly circulated fake videos of Pelosi, questioned her sanity and circulated slogans that she "drinks alcohol on the job". At the beginning of the 2020 Corona crisis, after Trump suspended travel to China, he falsely claimed that "crazy Nancy Pelosi" wanted to "have a parade in Chinatown" in San Francisco. Humbug, as so often with Trump.

What Trump hates verbally is physically hating Nancy Pelosi, 82, who recently killed her husband Paul. A 42-year-old man broke into the couple's home in San Francisco last Friday morning and struck Pelosis in the skull with a hammer. Paul Pelosi, 82, is being treated at the hospital. On Monday, the federal authorities brought charges against the perpetrator – for attempted kidnapping and assault.

After his arrest, the perpetrator is said to have said that he wanted to "take Nancy hostage and talk to her," according to the indictment. "If Nancy told 'the truth,' he would let her go, and if she 'lied,' he would 'break her kneecaps,'" according to the Washington Post. According to investigators, the intruder had cable ties with him.

Since the case broke, Republicans and other right-wing leaders have continued to spread disinformation about the violent attack on Paul Pelosi.

"Where's Nancy?" the intruder in Pelosi's posh mansion is said to have called out on the way to the bedroom. This is reminiscent of the hatred unleashed by the pro-Trump mob when the Capitol was stormed on January 6, 2021. Here, too, shouts were heard: "Where's Nancy?" A right-wing activist broke into Pelosi's office at the time and had one of her employees photographed at the desk with her feet on the table.

"Not our spokeswoman!" shouted a woman in front of the Capitol. "Get her out!" Another man. Pelosi was scolded as "Satan" on a banner in front of the Capitol. There are no limits to the imagination of the violent pro-Trump mobs and right-wing conspiracy theorists in the USA. Pelosi was regularly portrayed as downright dehumanized.

On January 6, 2021, Pelosi was brought to safety. The investigative committee into the storming of the Capitol recently showed new video footage. Here you can see Pelosi being ushered out of the Capitol via hallways. Later, Pelosi is in a secret, secure location. While Trump passively followed the violent events on and in the Capitol via Fox News in the White House dining room, Pelosi and other leading Democrats tried to restore order around the Capitol. Pelosi asked then-Virginia Governor Ralph Northam by phone ("Hi Governor, this is Nancy") to second security forces.

Trump's hatred of Pelosi certainly has something to do with her success - and his failure. When the Republicans lost the midterm elections in 2018 as a result of Trump's poor popularity ratings, Pelosi became Speaker of the House of Representatives. Conscious of power and experienced in power, she repeatedly negotiated with the President from then on. She showed her dislike more subtly and skilfully than Trump did in return. After the President's speech to Congress, for example, she tore up the manuscript of his speech in front of the cameras.

This may have increased Trump's resentment of Pelosi. Perhaps Pelosi is the only woman Trump has ever respected. Even if Pelosi is pursuing policies Trump should relish — like her visit to Taiwan in August — he lacks the size to acknowledge them. Xi Jinping behaved "like a fearful tyrant," Pelosi etched. Not even Trump dared to do something like that - apart from his weakness for authoritarian leaders.

The reactions of some leading Republicans to the attack on Pelosi are pathetic. Trump's son Donald junior made fun of Paul Pelosi on Twitter. He shared a meme depicting a "costume" consisting of panties and a hammer. "I've finished my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume," it read. Pelosi underwent cranial surgery for a fracture and was treated for facial injuries.

Right-wing Republican Sen. Ted Cruz retweeted a thread by far-right activist Matt Walsh, claiming the perpetrator was a "hippie nudist from Berkeley." Republicans blame "both sides" for political violence after the attack. The perpetrator had published pro-Trump and anti-democratic posts on his blog.

Trump himself was silent on the fact for days. Then on Sunday, he called the attack on Pelosi a "horrible thing" before going straight to discussing crime in Democrat-run cities.

New Twitter owner Elon Musk further promoted a conspiracy theory surrounding the attack on Pelosi. "There's a tiny chance there's more to this story," the world's richest man wrote on another link on Sunday. Hours later, the tweet was deleted without comment.

Nancy Pelosi thanked for prayers and warm wishes on Twitter on Sunday. This is "a consolation for our family" and contributes to her husband's recovery: "We are grateful for the quick response of law enforcement agencies and the emergency services and for the life-saving medical care he is receiving."

Pelosi is running for Congress again in next week's midterm elections. Should the Democrats lose the majority in the House of Representatives, she would automatically lose her position as speaker. Republican Kevin McCarthy is considered a possible successor. According to his own statements, he sent Nancy Pelosi a text message after the fact: "I was able to text her that we were praying for Paul."