House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday made her first on-camera remarks since the attack that hospitalized her husband, saying he will improve and reading a poem to call for uniting the country.
“It’s going to be a long haul, but he will be well,” she told supporters before addressing Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Pelosi said the way her husband, Paul Pelosi, was injured was “so tragic” but added that “we have to be optimistic.”
The Speaker read an excerpt from a poem by Israeli poet Ehud Manor that she previously read following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection in encouraging the country to come together.
“I have no other country. Although my land is burning, my veins, my soul with an aching body and with a hungry heart, here is my home,” she read. “I will not be silent. For my country has changed her face. I will not give up on her.”
“We need to bring our country together,” she added after she finished reading from the poem. “So, when we are fighting this fight, getting out this vote, let’s do so with the greatest respect for everyone.”
The suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi is facing multiple federal and state charges, including assault and attempted kidnapping. Officials have alleged that David DePape broke into the Pelosis’ home in San Francisco and hit Paul Pelosi with a hammer.
Paul Pelosi underwent surgery following the attack to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. He was released from the hospital Thursday.
An affidavit from the Justice Department states that DePape was looking for the House Speaker upon entering and planned to kidnap her and eventually other officials.
Politicians from both sides of the political aisle have condemned the attack, but some high-profile Republicans have either remained mostly silent or even joked about or mocked the incident.
Donald Trump Jr. mocked the attack online, retweeting a photo of a hammer that was captioned “Got my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume ready.”
Former President Trump has called the attack a “terrible thing,” and other Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have rebuked the attack.