A comedian was escorted away by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after posing as a Democrat and heckling her about her stock trading, calling her the “greatest options trader of all time” and asking for advice on which stocks to buy.
Conservative comedian Alex Stranger approached Pelosi while she was signing copies of her new book, “The Art of Power,” at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday, and a video of the encounter was posted to the social media platform “X” on Sunday.
Stranger, wearing a COVID mask and a Bernie Sanders baseball cap, approached the table where Pelosi was sitting and introduced himself as “Noah.” According to the news site Mediaite:.
“I'm a candidate for UTA. I was listening. I couldn't buy the book because it was sold out, but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your fierce and unwavering defense of democracy,” Stranger told Pelosi, adding, “It really means a lot.”
Stranger then told Pelosi that he was “really scared that Donald Trump is going to win the election.”
“And honestly, given all the misinformation about X, the only chance we have is for Donald Trump to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Stranger said.
He added that jailing Trump is “democracy's only hope” and “we just need to win the election.”
Pelosi agreed, replying, “I think so.”
“What stocks should we buy?” Stranger asked Pelosi.
“Nancy, you're the greatest options trader of all time,” the comedian added.
“I just want to know what stocks to buy. I just want to know what my biggest concerns are.”
As security officers intervened and attempted to remove Stranger from the former House speaker, he said: “The police are a tool of white supremacy and racism. I have no idea why they are here. Their budget should be defunded.”
Stranger then said Pelosi “earns a six-figure salary per year in Congress and has a net worth of $100 million.”
“You want to know what stocks she should buy? Look, I just want to know,” he said, as security began to escort him away.
“I just want to know what stocks to buy. I want to eliminate the wealth gap. What's the problem? I just want to eliminate the wealth gap.”
Pelosi, a Democratic congresswoman who represents San Francisco, is married to Paul Pelosi, the founder of a real estate and venture capital firm.
Paul Pelosi's stock trading activities have attracted attention given the fact that his wife, as one of the most influential lawmakers in the country, has access to information that could influence market decisions.
In June 2021, Paul Pelosi exercised his call option on Microsoft just before the company was awarded a lucrative defense contract from the U.S. government.
The following year, Paul Pelosi bought shares in AI chipmaker Nvidia just as Congress was about to vote on the CHIPS Act, which would have provided huge government subsidies to the semiconductor industry.
Pelosi's stock portfolio includes shares in top tech companies such as Apple, Amazon, Meta, Tesla and Alphabet.
The analysis found that Pelosi's stock options rose by more than 65% in the last year alone.
Representative Nancy Pelosi initially opposed the proposal to ban stock trading for lawmakers and their spouses, arguing that her husband traded stocks independently and that she was not involved.
The Washington Post has reached out to Nancy Pelosi and Paul Pelosi for comment.
