Nancy Pelosi, first woman US House speaker, impeached Donald Trump twice, to retire from Congress, 'With a greatful heart...'

Nancy Pelosi made a big announcement on Thursday regarding her tenure in the US Congress. She declared that she will not fight in the next election for Congress 2026, terminating her career of four decades being the progressive Democratic icon but seen otherwise by the right.  

Nancy Pelosi is the first woman who served as the powerful Speaker of the US House of Representatives.  

The congresswoman made the announcement two days after voters in California on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved “Proposition 50,” a state redistricting effort aimed at flipping five House seats to Democrats in next year's midterm elections. 

Before California, Texas made a similar move to increase the chances of the Republicans. “I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service,” Pelosi can be seen saying in a video posted on X.  

The 85-year-old was first elected in 1987, became the first woman speaker in 2007 and has been a key player in shaping the Democratic Party's agenda. 

Pelosi’s fight against Donald Trump 

Since decades she has been battling against the Republicans to take control of the House, especially since Donald Trump came on the scene to lead the Republicans. The two came face to face when Nancy Pelosi fought against Donald Trump’s in his first presidential term from 2017-2020. 

Pelosi's retirement looks back to the decades behind when junior Democrats criticised seniors of holding their position of power for long and not paving the way for the future generations. As an example, during his debate against Donald Trump 81-year old Democratic President Joe Biden hobbled after which he was pressured to quit his presidential candidacy.  

On being asked about her career regrets, Pelosi said her biggest wish was to win more elections to take Republicans out of power and “to make sure that a creature like Donald Trump never became president of the United States.” She did try to remove Trump from power twice, with House impeachments in late 2019 and early 2021, only to see Senate Republicans acquit him.