In a CNN interview aired Monday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described President Donald Trump as a “vile creature” and “the worst thing on the face of the Earth,” arguing he does not honor the Constitution. Her remarks came as political violence remains in sharp focus after two 2024 attempts on Trump’s life and the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah.
Pelosi, 85, made the comments in an interview with CNN’s Elex Michaelson, confirming when asked that she believes Trump is “the worst thing on the face of the Earth.” She elaborated that Trump “does not honor the Constitution,” asserting he has “turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court,” “abolished the House of Representatives,” and “chilled the press,” while scaring “people who are in our country legally.” The interviewer moved on without pressing for specifics on those claims.
The exchange aired November 3, 2025, as Californians voted in a special election on Proposition 50, a measure that would temporarily replace the state’s citizen‑drawn congressional maps with legislatively drawn maps through 2030. Supporters, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pelosi, say the change is a response to GOP gerrymandering elsewhere; opponents call it a partisan power grab that undercuts California’s independent redistricting system. The Associated Press has reported proponents believe Prop. 50 could add as many as five Democratic-held House seats if it passes.
Pelosi, now in her 20th House term, tied her remarks to the broader stakes of House control. “The only reason I’m in Congress this term is to win the House for the Democrats, to protect us from the poison of the Trump administration,” she said in the CNN clip. Asked about her own future, she declined to make news, saying she would decide after Proposition 50. NBC News has reported that Democrats are bracing for a possible retirement announcement after the vote; Pelosi has not announced a decision.
The interview landed amid renewed attention to political violence. In 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the FBI said a September incident at his West Palm Beach golf course “appears to be an attempted assassination.” In September 2025, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors have charged a 22-year-old suspect and described the killing as politically motivated; authorities have continued to outline evidence while noting aspects of motive are still being investigated.
Republicans have used the recent incidents to spotlight what they frame as left‑wing violence. At an October 28 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing, chaired by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R‑Mo.), opening remarks argued that political violence has been “a constant fact of American life” in the past 15 months. Daily Wire host Michael Knowles testified at that hearing and criticized Democrats for, in his view, downplaying left‑wing violence; he referenced Kirk’s killing in his remarks. (The full Judiciary Committee is chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R‑Iowa.)
Pelosi has also been directly affected by political violence. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked with a hammer in 2022 by David DePape, who was later convicted on federal charges; court records and testimony have detailed DePape’s embrace of right‑wing conspiracy theories and his intent to kidnap and interrogate the then‑Speaker. Trump initially called the attack a “sad situation,” but later mocked the episode in public remarks, quipping that a wall around the Pelosis’ home “didn’t help too much.”
While Pelosi’s language about Trump was unusually sharp, her interview centered on California’s Prop. 50 and the fight for House control next year. CNN said it would air a longer cut of the interview on Michaelson’s program later Monday night.
