Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told an audience this week that she did not enter public life for the money — a bold claim, considering her net worth has surged by an estimated 2,292 percent over her nearly four decades in Congress.
Pelosi made the comment at a forum hosted by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, where she bragged about being the highest-paid person on Capitol Hill during her time as speaker.
“At the time, I was, too, the highest paid person on Capitol Hill. As a woman, that was a big deal. Not that I was there for the money,” Pelosi said.
Take a look —
RNCResearch: Nancy Pelosi says that she was never in Congress for the money: "Not that I was there for the money."
Pelosi’s net worth is over $400 MILLION since joining Congress.
— Republican Women of Mercer County 💪🇺🇸 (@RWOMC) February 26, 2026
Critics were quick to pounce.
According to financial tracking firm Quiver Quantitative, Pelosi’s net worth is estimated at approximately $270 million as of early 2026. Her stock portfolio beat the S&P 500 by nearly 200 percent in 2024, and she outperformed many of the world’s largest hedge funds that year.
According to Unusual Whales’ 2024 Congress Trading Report, her portfolio grew 70.9 percent between just December 29, 2023, and December 30, 2024, compared to the S&P 500’s 24.9 percent return for the same period.
Impressive for someone that doesn’t care about money, and should be spending all her time on Capitol Hill.
Pelosi’s office has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and claimed her husband Paul the couple’s trades independently, and that she doesn’t feed him insider information.
The comments came just two days after President Donald Trump singled Pelosi out by name during his State of the Union address. Urging Congress to crack down on congressional stock trading, Trump drew a rare bipartisan standing ovation.
“Let’s also ensure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit using inside information. Pass the Stop Insider Trading Act without delay,” Trump declared.
Then, visibly surprised that Democrats had risen to their feet to applaud, Trump added: “They stood up for that. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi stand up — if she’s here? Doubt it.”
A source familiar with the moment told Fox News that Pelosi had been clapping until Trump called her out by name.
Vice President JD Vance laughed aloud at Trump’s line, while House Speaker Mike Johnson started biting his lip.
Pelosi is retiring from Congress at the end of her current term in January 2027.