Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she believes history will ultimately judge President Donald Trump for the events surrounding January 6, even as he now serves again as president of the United States.
In an interview Sunday with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s This Week, Pelosi was asked to reflect on the January 6 protests in light of Trump’s return to the White House. Pelosi expressed frustration and sorrow over what she described as an effort to reshape the narrative of that day.
Pelosi said it was “clear” to her that the president had incited an insurrection and claimed that congressional leaders urged Trump to deploy the National Guard as the situation unfolded. She disputed Trump’s past statements that he had intended to send the Guard, saying assistance never arrived despite urgent requests.
She also said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was among those pressing for immediate action to secure the Capitol.
According to Pelosi, her distress stems not only from the violence itself but from what she described as attempts to minimize or reinterpret the events of January 6. She called the breach of the Capitol an assault on democracy, Congress, and the Constitution, noting that lawmakers were fulfilling their constitutional duty to certify the Electoral College vote at the time.
When asked whether Trump has faced consequences, Pelosi responded that while he is currently president, she believes “history will” hold him accountable.
BREAKING: Nancy Pelosi SNAPS at OUR Reporter – Points in Her Face and Hurls Insults
When our reporter pressed @SpeakerPelosi on why she refused National Guard support on January 6th, she lost it – pointing in her face, yelling “Shut up,” and accusing her of pushing “Republican… pic.twitter.com/nXxKJaq6Gz
— LindellTV (@RealLindellTV) October 15, 2025
🚨 Since January 6, 2021, Nancy Pelosi spent 3+ years and nearly $20 million creating a narrative to blame Donald Trump.
NEW FOOTAGE shows on January 6, Pelosi ADMITTED:
“I take responsibility.”
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/95a0totTWB
— Oversight Subcommittee (@OversightAdmn) June 10, 2024
Pelosi’s comments come amid continued debate over responsibility for security failures that day. In October, she angrily pushed back when questioned by a Lindell TV reporter about why the National Guard was not deployed sooner, denying that she refused assistance and blaming the White House for the delay.
However, video released by the House Oversight Committee in June 2024 shows Pelosi acknowledging responsibility for security shortcomings at the Capitol on January 6, adding fuel to ongoing disputes over who bore responsibility for the response.