Trump shredded the truth so I shredded his speech: Pelosi

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday defended her decision to tear apart President Donald Trump's annual State of the Union address, which she alleged was a manifesto of mistruths. "He (Trump) shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech," Pelosi reportedly told her fellow Democrats during a closed-door meeting the morning after the State of the Union address, the third and the final one of Trump's first term.

"You are supposed to talk about the State of the Union, not the state of your alleged mind," Pelosi quoted by The Hill newspaper. At the start of the address, Pelosi, who presided over the joint session of the US Congress, was seen extending her hand to Trump for handshake. The president apparently overlooked it. The short video soon went viral on social media.

When Trump concluded his speech, -- that lasted for an hour and 18 minutes -- Pelosi standing behind the president literally tore page after page of the speech's copy "The manifesto of mistruths presented in page after page of the address tonight should be a call to action for everyone who expects truth from the president and policies worthy of his office and the American people," Pelosi said, in a statement issued after more than hour-long address to the Joint Session of the Congress.

"The American people expect and deserve a president to have integrity and respect for the aspirations for their children," she said.