Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has become the subject of intense online ridicule and speculation after delivering a stumbling, disjointed tribute at a memorial service for Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir.
A Shaky and Rambling Tribute
Videos from the event, held on Saturday at San Francisco's Civic Center, show the 85-year-old Democrat struggling through her nearly ten-minute speech. Pelosi, a self-proclaimed 'Deadhead', appeared unsteady and fumbled her lines, prompting immediate questions from viewers about whether she had been drinking.
The memorial was for Bob Weir, whose passing was announced on January 10 via an Instagram post. He died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, after a battle with cancer and underlying lung issues. He was 78.
Pelosi's speech got off to a faltering start. "As joyous as it is to see everyone here," she began, before completely losing her thread just sentences later. She described Weir as "not just a magician, musician – a magician too – he was a force of nature," laughing awkwardly as she flubbed the sentence.
Online Fury and Sobriety Questions
The politician's on-stage behaviour, which included noticeable swaying and singing during a performance of the band's classic 'Ripple' by John Mayer, ignited a firestorm on social media. Users widely speculated about her state of mind, despite her office telling PolitiFact as far back as 2010 that she does not drink.
One critic wrote online: "Poor old drunk Nancy. She doesn’t know when to stay home or refrain from the happy juice before going to a tribute for someone who died." Another added: "Drunk embarrassment. Lady you need to hole up in your house with your liquor bottles and don't show your face in public." A third directly questioned: "Is Nancy Pelosi drunk at the Bob Weir Homecoming?"
Political Message Amid the Controversy
Despite the shaky delivery, Pelosi, who wore a violet pantsuit and is set to retire from Congress at the end of her current term, used the platform to deliver a political message. She held up a Grateful Dead sign reading 'VOTE'.
"(Weir) gave me this sign, and I'll show it today, because I said Bobby really loved democracy, he loved our country," Pelosi told the crowd. "You know what he wanted everybody to do," she asked before revealing the sign.
This was not the first time Pelosi's public speaking has raised eyebrows. In July, she addressed Gen Z activists at the Voters of Tomorrow summit in Washington, delivering remarks that were widely criticised as rambling and confusing, leading to similar speculation about her sobriety.
Conservative commentators quickly seized on the latest incident. One criticised the content of her speech, referencing stock trading allegations: "What about the hundreds of millions SHE has made trading stocks of those companies based on insider information?" Another compared her delivery to Vice President Kamala Harris's speaking style, writing: "She drank Kamala’s lemonade."
Pelosi suffered a serious fall in Europe last December and underwent hip replacement surgery. The Daily Mail has contacted her office for comment on the memorial service incident.
