As of the end of the day Wednesday, GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy had lost a sixth round to win the Speaker of the House position after approximately 20 members of his own party repeatedly refused to back the California Representative in the race (a seventh and eighth votes on Thursday had similar results as of this writing.)
His failure to secure the Speakership on the first ballot was the first time in a hundred years that such a debacle had occurred.
In the midst of the Republican Party's chaotic infighting and frustration over the lack of progress, former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was caught subtly throwing shade at McCarthy during the Speaker debate on the House floor.
An Associated Press photo showed Pelosi reading a profile from The New Yorker, titled:
"What Kevin McCarthy Will Do to Gain Power."
Democratic pollster and strategist Matt McDermott posted a screenshot of the AP's photo revealing Pelosi's reading material while asking on Twitter:
"What was Nancy Pelosi reading on the House floor today during the Speaker vote?"
"A remarkable capture by @AP_images."
\u201cWhat was Nancy Pelosi reading on the House floor today during the Speaker vote?\n\nA remarkable capture by @AP_Images.\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
The description for the December 19, 2022 profile written by Jonathan Blitzer said of McCarthy:
"The Republican leader’s ambition has always been his defining characteristic."
"Attempting to placate both Trumpists and moderates may lead to his downfall."
In the photo, Pelosi–who led House Democrats for 20 years from 2003 to 2023 before stepping down as leader–was seen multi-tasking with activities unrelated to the Speaker debate unfolding on the House floor.
She was holding her cell phone while her texts remained active in one hand and The New Yorker magazine open to the page of McCarthy's profile in her other.
Social media users fully embraced this image as an immense burn against McCarthy.
\u201c@mattmfm @AP_Images This is the best troll ever\ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffb\nWhile relaxing at that!\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\nWhat part of the article did\nyou see playing out today?\n@SpeakerPelosi\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @costareports @AP_Images Like a well placed product in a movie, Nancy said everything she wanted to say without saying a word\ud83d\udc4f\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @costareports @AP_Images She knows we know.\nAfter all, she\u2019s very deliberate Nancy Pelosi.\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@JakeTheSnakeWWF @mattmfm @AP_Images Looks like a Reuters logo at the top on the phone.\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @lrozen @AP_Images Among many other super powers, she clearly has the best eyesight of any 80+ person I\u2019ve ever seen. Look at that perfectly reasonable font size.\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @StevenSenski @AP_Images Yass\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @AP_Images QUEEN\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @AP_Images For those who celebrated Nancy\u2019s departure from the house\u2026 heads up- she ain\u2019t going nowhere! \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffc\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffc\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffc\ud83d\udc99\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @ZaleskiLuke @AP_Images\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @AP_Images Just so Pelosi-badassy! \ud83d\ude0e\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @AP_Images So\u2026she wasn\u2019t eating popcorn?\n\nShe\u2019s a Boss!\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
\u201c@mattmfm @AP_Images Why does it matter. She\u2019s tired of the GOP eating themselves. Call her when there done.\u201d— Matt McDermott (@Matt McDermott) 1672890113
The voting will continue until a Speaker is chosen.
Until then, the stalemate situation is preventing the lower chamber from conducting any legislative activities.
In the meantime, we can count on Nancy Pelosi for some subtle sick burns.
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