President Donald Trump took no prisoners during his State of the Union address on February 24, 2026, calling out insider trading on Capitol Hill in his lengthy speech, urging lawmakers to “pass the Stop Insider Trading Act without delay,” while also delivering a few blows at former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who is retiring at the end of her current term.
“Let’s also ensure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” Trump went on to say. His comment prompted individuals from both major political parties to stand up and clap in agreement. Trump, stunned by the fact some Democrats stood up, said, “They stood up for that. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi stand up — if she’s here? Doubt it.”
The stinging comment is a reference to the Pelosi family’s financial disclosures which have frequently been targeted by critics who want to see stricter limits set on congressional stock trading. The Stop Insider Trading Act, which was first introduced by Rep. Bryan Steil, would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from buying publicly traded stocks.
The bill also requires advance public notice before any sale of stock lawmakers might own, seeking to establish limits that go further than those in the 2012 STOCK Act’s reporting requirements. A source close to the situation told Fox News that Pelosi was giving the president a round of applause until he mentioned her name.
Trump’s callout of Pelosi soon spread across social media, which got the attention of users like Fox contributor Guy Benson, who posted on X, “lol the Pelosi ad lib.” Columnist Josh Hammer also posted on the social media platform, writing, “LMAO at Trump’s callout of Pelosi on insider trading.” Curtis Houck, managing editor for NewsBusters said, “LOL Trump is the funniest President of all time, zero debate.”
The president took a moment during his speech to announce a new retirement savings proposal for workers who do not have access to employer matching, promising that the federal government would match contributions up to $1,000 a year so more Americans can benefit from market gains. According to the New York Post, Pelosi currently has a net worth of more than $269 million, which makes her one of the wealthiest lawmakers in Congress.
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President Trump’s remark, according to the report, was a bit of revenge in the longstanding feud between the two. Back in 2020, during Trump’s State of the Union address, Pelosi, who was the speaker at the time, stood behind the president and ripped up his speech in full view of the cameras. Throughout the majority of his speech, Democrats sat, faces locked in angry, cold stares as he delivered an update on the administration’s progress to the American people.
The president was interrupted several times during the address by various Democrats, including Rep. Al Green (D-TX) who was once again ejected from the event for holding up a protest sign while Trump made his way to the podium. Later, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) tried to heckle the president when he brought up the issue of welfare fraud being perpetrated within the Somali community, but were silenced by Republicans chanting “U-S-A.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video