John Boehner, the former Republican House Speaker, became teary-eyed as he delivered remarks at a portrait unveiling ceremony for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has finally retired.
Liberals praised the display as a reminder of the good old days when political divisions between the two parties weren’t so pronounced. At the same time, conservatives called it a sign that Republicans were bowing to their opponents.
The former House speaker, who served from early 2011 until late Oct. 2015, got choked up when he said, in reference to his daughters, that they told him to tell Pelosi how much they admired her. Boehner said no other speaker has led with the authority or consistency of Pelosi, calling her a “tough cookie.”
Afterward, Pelosi said she would have been disappointed if Boehner did not get emotional.
As the first female speaker of the House, Pelosi has led her fellow Democrats for nearly 19 years. The National Women’s Hall of Fame inducted her in 2013, the birthplace of the U.S. women’s rights movement. Pelosi announced last month that she would be stepping down after Republicans won the House majority.
But many conservatives took to Twitter and social media to criticize Boehner’s emotional display at the ceremony.
“John Boehner crying as he paid tribute to Nancy Pelosi is the perfect symbol of uniparty pathology,” Monica Crowley tweeted.
“Boehner crying in tribute to Pelosi while talking about how his daughters are Democrats is a pretty good summation of Republican leadership over the past couple of decades,” wrote Ben Shapiro.
“While you’re sniveling at Pelosi’s portrait reveal, conservatives are weeping for America — precisely because our country’s greatness and potential have been squandered by The Uniparty…” Tim Meads tweeted.
Guy Benson tweeted, “In fairness, Boehner cries about everything.”
Even conservative YouTubers The Hodge Twins scoffed at the moment — commenting, “RINO establishment Republican crying over Nancy Pelosi’s new portrait.”
Boehner crying in tribute to Pelosi while talking about how his daughters are Democrats is a pretty good summation of Republican leadership over the past couple of decades https://t.co/qccwcscgVU
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 15, 2022
Pelosi thanked her colleagues in attendance, saying she could never say “thank you enough.” The speaker said, “I thank you for your support, but more importantly for your patriotism and what you are all doing, on both sides of the aisle, for our country. And I think that every one of you is a blessing to our country.”
