Nancy Pelosi told Fox News that she ripped up her copy of Trump’s State of the Union speech because she couldn’t find “one page with truth on it.”

Asked about Nancy Pelosi ripping up the president’s speech, House Democrats seem to be shifting the focus back on to Trump, who appeared to reject the House speaker’s handshake when he arrived to deliver his State of the Union address.

After ripping up Trump’s State of the Union speech, Nancy Pelosi shared this photo from earlier in the night, when the president appeared to reject her handshake.

But Pelosi’s promise to “never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done” seemed to clash with her very public show of opposition to the president when she tore up his remarks.

Congressman Seth Moulton, another former Democratic presidential candidate, said he was among the House Democrats who walked out of the State of the Union.

In additional to the several Democratic lawmakers who walked out of Trump’s speech, at least 10 House Democrats did not attend the event in protest.

One Democratic senator, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said it was “a mistake” for Democrats to attend the State of the Union at all, comparing the annual speech to a “2020 campaign rally.”

Republican congressman Billy Long said he told Nancy Pelosi that she should auction off her copy of the State of the Union, which she ripped up, for charity.

Long, an actual auctioneer, noted he is auctioning the tie he had Trump sign tonight to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Asked about Nancy Pelosi ripping up Trump’s speech, congressman Al Green, one of the House Democrats who boycotted the State of the Union, blamed the tension on the president for initially rejecting a handshake from the House speaker.

The Republican National Commitee has already started circulating the video of Nancy Pelosi tearing up Trump’s State of the Union speech, as some political commentators predicted the clip would soon find its way into a Republican attack ad.

As Twitter erupted over Nancy Pelosi tearing up Trump’s State of the Union address, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered the Democrats’ English-language response to the speech.

“Every Democrat running for president has a plan to expand health coverage for all Americans,” Whitmer said, taking aim at Trump’s criticisms of the Democratic presidential candidates.

“President Trump, sadly, has a different plan. He’s asking the courts to rip those life-saving protections away. It’s pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away.”

But those policy-focused remarks were immediately overshadowed by the tension between Trump and Pelosi, especially considering the annual speech comes one day before the Senate is expected to acquit the president in the impeachment trial.

Longtime congressional reporters said Nancy Pelosi tearing up the paper copy of Trump’s speech underscored what an unprecedented State of the Union it was, from the president’s rejection of the speaker’s handshake to Republican cheers of “Four more years!” in the House chamber.

Pelosi also ignored the traditional introduction of the president as he walked into the chamber.

Asked why she tore up Trump’s speech, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was the “courteous thing to do considering the alternative.”

The moment immediately overshadowed the Democratic response being delivered by Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is focusing her remarks on healthcare and infrastructure.

Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the only two members of “the Squad” to attend tonight’s State of the Union, have walked out of the House chamber.

The pair’s departure come shortly after Trump boasted about the number of conservative judges he has nominated since taking office.

“We have confirmed a record number of 187 new Federal judges to uphold our Constitution as written,” Trump said. “This includes two brilliant new Supreme Court Justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.”

Trump then ad-libbed: “And we have many in the pipeline.”

Congressman Tim Ryan, a former Democratic presidential candidate who ended his campaign in October, said he walked out of the State of the Union because he has “had enough”:

Democrats in the House chamber groaned as Trump lamented the crime committed by undocumented immigrants, a frequent talking point for the president.

“Tragically, there are many cities in America where radical politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegal aliens,” Trump said. “In sanctuary cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed.”

But data clearly shows undocumented immigrants are much less likely to commit crime than native-born citizens. The Washington Post reported in 2018:

A number of studies published in the past several months clearly illustrate the consensus.

The first study, published by the libertarian Cato Institute in February, examines criminal conviction data for 2015 provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety. It found that native-born residents were much more likely to be convicted of a crime than immigrants in the country legally or illegally.

At least two House Democrats have walked out of Trump’s State of the Union speech as the president has criticized them on everything from prescription drug prices to reproductive rights.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to be trying to fact-check Trump in real time as she sits behind the president in the chamber.

Trump has given a boost to Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, as he seeks to reignite his campaign to bring down Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.

Many suspect Trump is starting to give up on Guaidó, who with US backing has spent more than a year trying to unseat Maduro, so far without luck.

But in his speech tonight Trump reaffirmed US support for Venezuela’s “righteous struggle for freedom”.

“The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against the socialist dictator of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro,” Trump said, to loud applause.

“Maduro is an illegitimate ruler – a tyrant who brutalises his people. But Maduro’s grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken,” he added.

Trump described Guaidó, 36, as “a very brave man who carries with him the hopes and aspirations of all Venezuelans” and “the true and legitimate president of Venezuela”.

Trump just introduced one of his State of the Union guests Charles McGee, the Tuskegee airman who also tossed the coin at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

“After more than 130 combat missions in World War II, he came back to a country still struggling for Civil Rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam,” Trump said of McGee.

“On December 7th, Charles celebrated his 100th birthday. A few weeks ago, I signed a bill promoting Charles McGee to Brigadier General. And earlier today, I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office. General McGee: Our Nation salutes you.”

Another moment of bipartisan applause came when Trump introduced Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who is a guest at the State of the Union tonight. (Read more about him here.)

The first moment of a bipartisan standing ovation tonight came when Trump touted efforts to reform the criminal justice system.

But Trump pointedly declined to credit Democrats when discussing the recent signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, even though Democratic lawmakers were key to the agreement’s success.

House Democrats were also not invited to the White House signing ceremony of the deal last week, even though administration officials have acknowledged the agreement would not have been reached without them.

As Trump started delivering his annual address, the White House said secretary of the interior David Bernhardt was acting as the “designated survivor” tonight.

Because a large number of senior officials gather at the Capitol for the State of the Union, the White House always designates a Cabinet member to remain behind in case disaster strikes.

The designated survivor is generally one of the lower-ranking Cabinet members. Last year, then-energy secretary Rick Perry served in the role.

Multiple veteran political reporters compared the atmosphere of Trump’s State of the Union to that of his campaign rallies, as Republican lawmakers chanted, “Four more years!” in the House chamber.

Although House speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly asked her caucus members to remain composed tonight, some Democrats audibly groaned when Trump boasted about reversing the “failed economic policies” of the Obama administration.

But Trump has actually added fewer jobs to the US economy per month than Barack Obama did in his second term:

Also in the audience is Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, who – with Trump’s backing – has been battling to topple its authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro since last year – so far unsuccessfully.

Guaidó will be hoping for some words of support as he tries to revive his flagging campaign to reinvigorate his crisis-stricken nation.

Here is that moment when Trump appeared to reject a handshake from House speaker Nancy Pelosi as he arrived for his State of the Union address:

First lady Melania Trump has arrived and is seated next to conservative radio-show host Rush Limbaugh, who is a guest of the president tonight.

Limbaugh announced yesterday that he has been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, and Trump reportedly intends to award the controversial “shock jock”with the presidential medal of freedom.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi and vice president Mike Pence have taken their seats behind the president’s podium, as the chamber awaits Trump’s arrival.

The Supreme Court justices have arrived to witness the State of the Union, although five of the nine justices are not present tonight.

One of the judges present is obviously chief justice John Roberts, who has overseen the impeachment trial in the past few weeks.

The House impeachment managers are sitting together at the State of the Union and have been teh center of attention for their fellow Democrats.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has also reportedly warned her caucus members to remain dignified if Trump veers into taunting them for the impeachment trial.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is wearing a Palestinian thobe to the State of the Union as her form of protesting the State of the Union.

Ilhan Omar, another member of the group of progressive congresswomen known as “the Squad,” is also using her attire to protest the president’s annual speech.