Nancy Pelosi says ripping up Trump's State of the Union was 'the courteous thing to do'
Reaction and analysis from Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume, 'Fox News Sunday' anchor Chris Wallace and 'The Daily Briefing' anchor Dana Perino.
Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y. and former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn. spoke with the "Fox News Rundown" podcast Thursday about civility in politics and whether or not both parties can heal after President Trump's acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial Wednesday.
"I think many of us would share the sentiments of a lot of the silent majority of America that says, 'You know, this type of political theater and ripping up speeches and things like that, it just has to come to an end because it looks so childish and it's so petty,'" Reed said, referencing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up her copy of the president's speech after the State of the Union's conclusion. "And we're here to solve problems for the American people."
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Ford said the country could move on from the impeachment controversy, but said it was up to President Trump to take the lead and be the "adult in the room."
"So the president, I would hope, would say, 'Let's move forward. And I've accomplished a lot. Even in the face of opposition from Democrats and others, think about how much more we can do if we all work together,'" Ford said. "Now, I don't know if he'll do that."
Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., and Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y. (Getty Images)
The former Tennessee congressman posited that Democrats will move on from impeachment if Trump does.
"I'm a believer that... if Donald Trump says, 'I am ready to move on and work with Democrats on an array of issues... I'm asking you guys, can we move on?'" Ford said. "Deep inside, Democrats like me and other Democrats awaken to this reality. Let us move on. The country has been put through enough."
Reed, the co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, claimed the rash of retirements among lawmakers was due in part to the hostility that surrounds modern politics.
"Obviously, the civility question is contributing to it," Reed said. "And it's on both the left and right."
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The congressman, who was first elected in 2010, told host Jessica Rosenthal of an incident where a 4-year-old girl spat on him during a town hall after being egged on by her father.
"As a person, I will just tell you, that is a very tough profession to engage in when you have that type of behavior being exhibited," he said.
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