Speaker of the House Mike Johnson took a playful jab at former Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week, delivering a perfectly timed and surprisingly funny reaction to her announcement that she’s finally retiring from Congress. Standing alongside House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who warned of the growing threat of socialism after New York City’s election of radical leftist Zohran Mamdani, Johnson used the moment to highlight what Pelosi’s departure really says about today’s Democratic Party — that it’s sprinting so far left, even Pelosi can’t keep up.
“Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has now announced her retirement this morning,” Johnson said with a grin during his press conference. “That is a very important sign that I hope you all will delve into. Even the famous San Francisco liberal is not far left enough for the Neo-Marxist.”
It was a stinging but accurate observation. Pelosi, once seen as the face of liberal progressivism, now looks practically moderate compared to the new breed of socialists and anti-capitalist ideologues dominating the Democratic Party. Figures like Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders represent a movement that’s abandoned even the pretense of mainstream politics — openly embracing radical redistribution, defunding police, and government dependency.
Pelosi, of course, isn’t exactly a centrist herself. Over her two decades in power, she championed nearly every major progressive cause — from pushing through the disastrous Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), to twice impeaching President Donald Trump, to reportedly strong-arming Joe Biden into dropping out of the 2024 race so Kamala Harris could take the top of the ticket. That gambit backfired spectacularly, paving the way for Trump’s triumphant return to the White House.
Still, Johnson took the high road — mostly. “I commend her for her service, as we all do,” he said, adding pointedly that “there should be a lot written about that.”
Pelosi announced her decision in a six-minute video posted to social media Thursday, declaring, “I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.” The 85-year-old lawmaker has served an astonishing 20 terms, and while many on the left hailed her career as a triumph for women in politics, others — including plenty of Democrats — quietly sighed with relief that she’s finally stepping aside.
But Pelosi’s departure doesn’t mark the end of liberal excess — if anything, it exposes just how extreme her party has become. Once considered the gold standard of progressive politics, she’s now being replaced by figures even further left, individuals who openly espouse socialist economics, identity politics, and hostility toward traditional American values.
In her video, Pelosi boasted of “bringing home billions of dollars for our city and our state,” citing transportation and environmental projects. But critics argue her decades in office left California with crumbling infrastructure, rising crime, and skyrocketing costs of living — all while she and her husband, Paul Pelosi, amassed millions through their controversial stock trades.
As Speaker Johnson joked, the fact that a San Francisco liberal like Pelosi is no longer radical enough for her own party tells Americans everything they need to know about where the Democrats are headed — and why voters are turning back to the common-sense conservatism of Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
