Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked about why many Republicans in Congress are too scared to speak out against Donald Trump. She said the fear goes beyond politics — it’s personal and even physical.
Pelosi explained that some Republicans are afraid they or their families could be attacked if they criticize Trump. She pointed to what happened to her husband, Paul Pelosi, as an example.
A man broke into their home in San Francisco in 2022, looking for her. She wasn’t home, but the man violently attacked her husband with a hammer, cracking his skull. That man, David DePape, was known for supporting far-right conspiracy theories. He was sentenced to life in prison, along with a 30-year federal sentence.
Pelosi said Republicans are afraid of facing similar violence. They don’t want their families to be threatened just because they don’t agree with Trump. She said it’s shocking that so many of them are willing to ignore their responsibilities in Congress just to avoid upsetting him. They’re supposed to act as a check on the president’s power, but she feels many are failing to do that.
At the same time, Pelosi admitted that the fear isn’t baseless. She said Trump is ruthless toward anyone who goes against him and might try to punish them, even by using federal agencies like the Justice Department or the FBI to investigate them for no real reason.
She also mentioned current House Speaker Mike Johnson. When asked about Trump supporters being upset over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, she expressed surprise that Johnson seemed to slightly distance himself from Trump.
She found it odd because Johnson usually supports everything Trump says or does, even when it’s damaging to the country or to Congress itself.
Pelosi criticized Johnson for being too loyal to Trump, saying it’s disappointing to see someone in such a powerful position not standing up for what’s right or protecting the institution they work for. Even though Johnson later claimed his words about the Epstein files were misunderstood and insisted he’s still fully aligned with Trump, Pelosi wasn’t convinced.
