Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the University of California at Berkeley (UC) will launch an academic institute that will study “strengthening democracy”, reports Associated Press (AP). Despite the declared nonpartisan nature of the programs, the project is being launched against the backdrop of close attention from the White House to the university and the congresswoman's long-standing conflict with President Donald Trump.
The Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy will open in January, and the 86-year-old Democrat will leave the US Congress, where she has sat since 1987. In 2007, she became the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives. Having represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, the politician will participate in academic activities and teach a course on the work of the legislature.
“I am honored to collaborate with this exceptional community of scholars and students so that we can give the next generation the tools they need to strengthen our democratic institutions and build a future that serves the public good,” Pelosi was quoted as saying by the AP.
According to university officials, the institute will work on four pillars: strengthening America's democratic institutions, addressing societal, economic and planetary challenges, advancing human rights, and “providing political leadership that represents a full range of perspectives and experiences.”
Pelosi's office said the institute will be strictly nonpartisan, but its activities will reflect the ex-speaker's concerns about the state of democracy in America. In recent years, Pelosi has often spoken about the threat that, in her opinion, Republican Trump poses to democracy and the principle of separation of powers, writes Politico. The publication also calls her one of the most influential women in modern American politics.
The new institute will collaborate with the political science department of the University of California at Berkeley, a program designed for approximately 500 people a year, notes the San Francisco Chronicle. After the bachelor's degree program, graduates will receive a certificate in public administration. It will also conduct research focusing on “science-based solutions to pressing problems in democracy.” The program also invites “renowned experts” to teach and advise students throughout the semester. In addition, it organizes student internships with scholarships and an annual forum of “global thought leaders” representing various political views. University rector Richard Lyons stressed that the new institute will not promote a political agenda.
“I want a group of young people to see something that they don’t see now, to realize a cognitive shift from “they do this” to “I do this.” We have higher demands. We truly strive for impartiality and we feel that [Нэнси Пелоси] understands this and agrees with us,” Lyons said.
In an interview with The New York Times (NYT), he said the institute “can inspire young people who might not otherwise consider or be prepared for public service.” However, he did not directly answer the question of whether he fears that the agreement with Pelosi could provoke a negative reaction from Trump.
The NYT characterizes the Democrat as “one of President Trump’s most vehement opponents”—she, for example, called him a “vile creature.” In 2025, the Republican reacted positively to the congresswoman's desire to resign. The head of the White House called her an “evil woman” who, in his words, “did not cope well with her responsibilities” and caused “enormous damage” to the state, undermining the country’s reputation. At the same time, the Democrat described Trump’s address to Congress as a “manifesto of lies.”
The White House is closely monitoring the activities of the University of California, which insists that its new program will be nonpartisan, the newspaper adds. At the same time, the educational institution “is experiencing unprecedented pressure from the Trump administration,” which has been conducting investigations on campus for several months, the NYT emphasizes. UC is one of five universities being investigated by the US Department of Education after reports of widespread anti-Semitic incidents amid pro-Palestinian protests.
