Fact Check

Did Pelosi Say Trump Can't Hold Power Because He's One of the 'Common People'?

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the frequent target of hoaxes and misleading memes.

Published April 15, 2020

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Image courtesy of Albert H. Teich / Shutterstock.com
Claim:
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the political class wouldn't accept U.S. President Donald Trump among its ranks because he isn't a "vetted politician" and is among the "common people."

In early April 2020, social media users shared a meme containing a quote purportedly made by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The text in the meme, supposedly sourced from the Democratic congresswoman from California, stated Pelosi had opined that the political class would not accept U.S. President Donald Trump into their ranks because he is one of the "common people."

The full text of the meme reads, "Donald Trump is NOT a politician, properly vetted by the political arena and we do not accept common people in the reins of power. Common people are NOT allowed to be president and we DON'T care who this shutdown hurts, we will show the American people who runs this country."

We could find no record of Pelosi making the remark or any comment with similar meaning (or any instance of Pelosi referring to Trump as a "common person"), thus it appears to have been made up and falsely attributed to her. It's also unlikely that even Trump, who has reported he has a multi-billion dollar fortune and has frequently been photographed in his gold-encrusted New York penthouse, would describe himself as a "common" person.

Because we could find no evidence that Pelosi made this remark or even a similar statement to it, we rate this claim "False." Pelosi is the frequent target of hoaxes, misleading memes, and fake quotes.

Sources

Rushe, Dominic. "'I'm Realy Rich': Donald Trump Claims $9bn Fortune During Campaign Launch."   The Guardian. 16 June 2015.

Puente, Maria. "Will He Go for the Gold? Donald Trump's Redecorating Plans for the White House."   USA Today. 18 January 2017.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more