Nancy Pelosi has made known her retirement from Congress, closing a career that lasted decades and saw the California Democrat emerge one of the most powerful figures in politics in America.
Pelosi said via a video on Thursday, she will not fight for re-election to Congress at the end of her term in January 2027.
The 52nd Speaker of he House posted: “Those who believe in liberty and dignity, goodness and generosity must never give in to the forces arrayed against the things we hold dearest.
“As I soon begin my final year in Congress, I believe as fervently as ever that this must be our path forward.”
This draws the curtain on Pelosi’s political career. The 85-year old emerged the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House and guided her Party in the lower chamber of Congress from 2003 until 2023.
According to the BBC, in her message, Pelosi said: “We have made history, we have made progress.
“We have always led the way, and now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracy, and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.
“As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power.”
In 1987 at the age of forty-seven (47), Pelosi was first elected to Congress to represent San Francisco, and fastly scaled through the ranks.
Pelosi was elected to be the Speaker of the House by her Party in 2007 and served until 2011, when Democrats lost control of the lower chamber, before making her way back to the speaker’s chair from 2019 to 2023.
While Pelosi marshalled the passage of former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare legislation, she staunchly challenged Donald Trump throughout his Presidency.
According to the BBC, in his reaction to Pelosi’s retirement, President Trump said:
she was “an evil woman”.
“I’m glad she’s retiring. I think she did the country a great service by retiring,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think she was a tremendous liability for the country.”
Trump said: “Nancy Pelosi, the old and broken political hack who Impeached me twice and lost, is finally calling it “quits.” She illegally made a fortune in the Stock Market, ripped off the American Public, and was a disaster for America. I’m glad to see the stench of Nancy Pelosi go!!!”
Photo: Nancy Pelosi | Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
