House Speaker Emerita Rep. Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Her most recent stint in power also saw Pelosi serve as a chief antagonist to President Donald Trump during his first term.
Her constant clashes with the president, including tearing up his State of the Union speech while sitting behind him as he delivered it in 2020, earned her the nickname "Crazy Nancy" by the Republican commander-in-chief.
Trump cheered Pelosi's announcement in comments to Fox News, "The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America."
He called her "evil," "corrupt," and "only focused on bad things for our country."
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"She was rapidly losing control of her party and it was never coming back. I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice," Trump said.
Pelosi first came to Congress in 1987 after winning a special election to replace the late Rep. Sala Burton, D-Calif.
Rumors of her potential retirement had swirled for days ahead of the explosive news on Thursday, but Pelosi's spokesperson said she would discuss her political future after California voted on a referendum allowing state Democrats to redraw the state's congressional map.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, attends a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, July 17, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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Golden blamed increased extremism by both Democrats and the GOP, as well as heightened political threats against his family and elected officials in general.
While Golden's seat is a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans, Pelosi's seat is all but assured to stay within Democrats' hands.
And she has already garnered two high-profile primary challengers before announcing her plans.
The most recent hopeful is state Sen. Scott Wiener, who announced his campaign late last month.
Saikat Chakrabarti, a software engineer and left-wing activist who served as chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is also in the race.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nancy-pelosi-not-seek-re-election-ending-decades-long-house-career