There is an unprecedented level of hostility between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Friday, while warning that Pelosi should not be underestimated.
"We have never seen the level of hostility between the speaker of the House and a president that we have with Nancy Pelosi and President Trump," Gingrich told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "Nancy Pelosi has gone out of her way to prove that she is his mortal enemy, and that if she can destroy his presidency, she will."
He also stressed that Pelosi should not be underestimated, as she is a "very effective, very tough operator. The president will have to break her power in order to win."
On Wednesday, Pelosi requested that Trump postpone his State of the Union because of the ongoing government shutdown. One day later, Trump issued a letter to Pelosi, just before she and other lawmakers were set out on a trip Afghanistan and Brussels, denying them the use of a military flight and saying it would be better if they remained in Washington D.C.
Gingrich laughed when he was asked if Trump's move was in retaliation for Pelosi's call on his State of the Union address or it was really about the shutdown.
"I have written two books about Trump," he said. "I don't know anybody more predictable at counterpunching. You hit Donald Trump, he picks up a large log, slams you across the head, and says 'see you made me irritated.'
However, Gingrich said he does think Trump had a good point by saying Pelosi and the others should stay in the United States rather than travel overseas while employees aren't being paid.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.