Mrs Pelosi is well known for saying: “To minister the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonour the God who made us.” As one of the most powerful Democrats in the US, Mrs Pelosi admitted the quote might not be a biblical one. During an event with Christian colleagues, Mrs Pelosi said: “I can’t find it in the Bible, but I quote it all the time.
“I keep reading and reading the Bible – I know it’s there someplace. It’s supposed to be in Isaiah.”
According to Business Insider Mrs Pelosi has cited the line 11 times between 2002 and 2019 on the Congressional record.
Associate professor of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Whitworth University Will Kynes told Slate: “The Pelosi passage is not in the Bible.”
Mr Kynes said the closest analogue is Proverbs 14:31 which talks about aiding the poor.
The passage says: “Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honour him.”
Politicians tend to use quotes from the Bible to appeal to Christian audiences.
Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently referenced the Bible in arguing for environmental protection.
Mrs Pelosi has been hitting the headlines recently after her applause behind President Donald Trump’s back following his State of the Union address.
The State of the Union address was initially delayed following the US government shutdown over funding for the wall along the Mexican border.
The President said: “We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution. And embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.”
After the President said those words Mrs Pelosi vigorously clapped while looking directly at Mr Trump.
People took to Twitter to express their views and turn her clap into a meme.
Some Twitter users called it a “walrus clap.”
Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted: “Congrats to Speaker Pelosi for inventing the f*** you clap.”
Victoria Brownworth said: “Hate clapping for Trump is one hell of a visual, he doesn’t even get what she’s doing.”
Mrs Pelosi also took to Twitter to discuss Trump’s speech but did not acknowledge the memes circulating social media.
Mrs Pelosi said: “If Trump’s speech frustrated you, convinced you even further that we have to stop his fear-mongering agenda, do something about it.”