White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders blasted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) sour expression at President Trump's State of the Union during an appearance on CNN on Wednesday. "I think that Nancy Pelosi looks like that all the time," Sanders told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "I think she should smile a lot more often. I think the country would be better for it."
Sanders added that Pelosi "seems to kind of embody the bitterness that belongs in the Democrat party right now."
Sanders wasn't the only one who noticed Pelosi's visage. "When Trump said he created 2 million jobs, Pelosi shook her head," observed Politico. "Pelosi shook her head when Trump said America is seeing rising wages again. Pelosi and [Democratic Whip Steny] Hoyer shook their heads a lot during Trump's remarks, looking befuddled for much of the speech."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Pelosi is not the first woman politician to have her smile, or lack thereof, become a point of scrutiny. "An angry or serious man evokes an image of passion and determination, whereas with a woman it is seen as a sign of derangement or loss of control," observed one Atlantic commenter in response to criticism over Hillary Clinton seeming too cheerful at a 2016 presidential debate.
Watch Sanders' comments below. Jeva Lange
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia JamesSpeed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in ChicagoSpeed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leadersSpeed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
