Outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi received one last round of laughs from the internet after she erroneously wished Americans a ‘Happy Schwanza’ in her final Congressional speech.
Pelosi, 82, was no longer likely to be speaker again as Republicans took control over the House of Representatives in the November midterms, but she did not seek to keep her position as Democrats leader in the lower chamber.
She wrapped up the speech by saying: ‘I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe new year, happy holidays, merry Christmas, happy Schwanza, happy Hanukkah… whatever it is you celebrate, be safe.’
Toward the end of the clip, Pelosi almost seems to have caught what she said herself, as she appears close to laughing.
Outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi received one last round of laughs from the internet after she erroneously wished Americans a ‘Happy Schwanza’ in her final Congressional speech
Pelosi was likely trying to wish people a happy Kwanzaa, an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1. It dates back to the 1960s.
Online, people were having fun laughing at the speaker themselves.
Fox News’ Monica Crowley cracked: ‘Schwanza follows hot on the heels of Festivus,’ a reference to the fictional holiday from Seinfeld.
Another noted that ‘Schwanza’ sounds similar to ‘Schwanz,’ the word for ‘penis’ in German.
One other mocked Pelosi by using the photo of the speaker kneeling and wearing a kente cloth after the murder of George Floyd.
Pelosi became the first woman speaker in 2007. After Democrats lost the House in 2011, she regained the gavel in 2019, becoming the first House leader in some 50 years to twice be elected speaker.
She has served in Congress since 1987 and on two occasions as speaker, and is currently helping her husband recover from a home invasion and attack in late October.
Pelosi was likely trying to wish people a happy Kwanzaa, an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1. It dates back to the 1960s
President Joe Biden had asked Pelosi to remain in Congress and to continue holding a Democratic leadership role, sources said prior to the announcement.
New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the chair of the House Democratic caucus is in line to take up Democrat leadership.
Speaker Pelosi is one of the wealthiest members of Congress – with a net worth of up to $120 million, according to Yahoo Finance.
Via Zoom, Pelosi spoke on a Democrat Party fundraiser in late October called ‘Strengthening Our Democracy’ and addressed her husband’s condition.
She said: ‘Paul came home yesterday. That enables me to be at home with all of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for kind words, your prayers and your good wishes for Paul.’
Pelosi added: ‘It’s going to be a long haul, but he will be well. And, it’s just so tragic how it happened, but nonetheless, we have to be optimistic. He’s surround by family, so that’s a wonderful thing.’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi walks to the House Chambers of the U.S. Capitol Building on December 23
Pelosi became the first woman speaker in 2007. After Democrats lost the House in 2011, she regained the gavel in 2019, becoming the first House leader in some 50 years to twice be elected speaker
The incident, just days before the November elections, renewed calls in Congress to beef up security in light of a growing threats against lawmakers. Pelosi was in Washington at the time.
US Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in a weekend memo to lawmakers that the attack ‘is a somber reminder of the threats elected officials and families face in 2022.’
In a speech, US President Joe Biden linked the attack to the political violence unleashed by ex-president Donald Trump’s supporters against Congress on January 6, 2021.
Republicans, he said, have ’emboldened violence and intimidation of voters and election officials.’
‘That is the path to chaos in America,’ he said.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is joined by her family as they attend her portrait unveiling ceremony in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, December 14
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi waves as she leaves the United States Capitol after Congress passed a $1.66 trillion government funding bill before a midnight deadline
Her portrait was unveiled December 14 at the U.S. Capitol, a traditional honor bestowed on a tradition-breaking leader who was not just the first woman to hold the gavel but among the most consequential House speakers in American history – one who ‘got it done.’
The ceremony at the ornate Statuary Hall drew current and former members of Congress, friends and family.
The guests included the Democratic leader’s husband, Paul Pelosi, who is recovering from a brutal attack by an intruder who broke into their San Francisco home seeking the speaker in the weeks before the midterm election.
Former President Barack Obama said in a videotaped message that Pelosi has ‘inspired a generation of women to run, win and lead because they´ve seen her, what someone like her – and someone like them – can do.’
Obama recounted how his signature Affordable Care Act was all but abandoned after a Senate election defeat, except for Pelosi’s persistence. ‘The only thing she wasn’t willing to do was give up. And like always, she got it done.’