Who is Nancy Pelosi, born in 1940, the first Californian and the first Italian-American to ever be elected Speaker of the House; Would you like to get to know him better?
After the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan at the beginning of August 2022, relations between China and the United States suddenly became tense.
Why did Pelosi go to Taiwan?
There is strong support for Taiwan in the US public and Congress.
Pelosi, who has been in Congress for more than 35 years, is known for her critical stances towards China.
She has so far criticized Beijing's violation of human rights, met with pro-democracy protesters, and visited Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 1989 massacre.
Pelosi's plan was to visit the island in April. However, when the Covid test was positive, she had to postpone this visit.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned at the time that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan would mean "crossing the red line" defined by the "one China" principle.
Pelosi became the first Speaker of the US House of Representatives to visit the Island in 25 years. Earlier in 1997, Newt Gingrich had visited Taiwan while on this mission.
Who is Nancy Pelosi? (in summary)
Nancy Pelosi was born on March 26, 1940. She led the minority Democrats in the House of Representatives until 2007. After the Democratic Party won the majority in the House of Representatives in the by-elections in November 2006, she won the vote and became the first woman to be elected "President of the House" in the history of the USA.
Pelosi, who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January 4, 2007 to January 5, 2011, is the woman who has reached the highest level of government in the history of the United States. She also holds the privilege of being the first Californian and the first Italian-American ever elected to the position of Speaker of the House.
Details
Nancy Pelosi (Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro) of Italian descent was born on March 26, 1940 in Baltimore Maryland.
She studied political science at Trinity College in Washington and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1962.
She moved to New York the following year after she married Paul Pelosi. With 5 children, Pelosi has built a reputation as a highly influential fundraiser.
She rose in her career by serving on the Democratic National Committee, serving as chairman of both the California Democratic Party (1981-83) and the host committee for the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
PELOSI AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR
Pelosi voted against the Iraq War.
On January 4, 2007, Pelosi was elected president of the 110th House of Congress.
After Democrat Barack Obama took over the presidency in 2009, Pelosi became a supporter of many of his policies.