CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Speaker Emeritus of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi told a crowd of about 120 guests at the University of Virginia’s Rotunda that she continues to believe in “the goodness of the American people,” and that, as President Trump’s political influence wanes, she believes Republicans in Congress will reassert the separation of powers as laid out in the Constitution.

“The most important force in democracy is public opinion,” Pelosi said, telling those in attendance that American democracy is in peril but not beyond saving.

Pelosi’s appearance was the fifth in a series put on by the Karsh Institute for Democracy series, entitled ‘Congress as a Cornerstone of American Democracy.’ Wednesday’s conversation was moderated by USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page.

Pelosi said the current political situation, where Republicans in Congress have allowed the Executive branch to seize much of the authority Constitutionally granted to Congress, is unlike anything she’s experienced in her time as a Representative, a role she’s held since 1987.

She called the separation of power and checks and balances, “the genius of the Constitution.”

Pelosi lamented the loss of mutual respect and patriotism among opposing politicians. She told stories about her relationships with former Presidents George Bush and George W. Bush.

“We were opponents, but we were never enemies,” Pelosi said. “It’s a different world right now.”

She said Republican efforts to “demonize” her played an oversized role in the attack at her home that injured her husband in 2022.

Pelosi drew big applause when she praised Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s response to the State of the Union address Tuesday night.

New University President Scott Beardsley was among those in attendance, to hear Pelosi’s talk. Pelosi guaranteed that Democrats would take control of the House after November’s midterm elections.

“The President’s numbers a year in advance” is a predictor of how a party will do in upcoming elections, she said.

Pelosi spoke about Trump’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night, saying the low point came when Republicans applauded cuts to SNAP benefits.

“We’re taking food out of the mouths of babies and they cheered,” Pelosi said.

Page asked Pelosi if Democrats would impeach Trump if they take control of the House. Pelosi said she hopes there isn’t a reason to do that, but did not rule it out. She said that is not the most important issue for her party to campaign on.

She told the crowd that it was children’s and HIV issues were what drove her into politics in the 1980s. She said that her proudest accomplishment was passing the Affordable Care Act, drawing some of the loudest applause of the day. Pelosi said her greatest disappointment of her time in Congress is politicians failing to act to curb gun violence.

After about 45 minutes of questions and answers with Page, Pelosi was asked questions by audience members, queries that dealt with attacks on democracy, the redistricting effort in Virginia and the role of women in government.

“I always thought we’d have a woman President before we had a woman Speaker of the House,” Pelosi said, predicting at the time that Congressional men would have blocked that path while voters would have put a woman in the White House. “We will have a woman President and it will be a great thing for our country. I hope it will be sometime soon.”

Pelosi concluded by paraphrasing Thomas Paine, saying “the times have found us to save our democracy.”