Like most women in the spotlight, Nancy Pelosi is subject to a whirlwind of scrutiny over her appearance. But one particular day at the hair salon caused a media firestorm. In August 2020, Pelosi made a trip to a San Francisco salon to get a trim from her longtime hairdresser, Jonathan DeNardo, according to USA Today. However, the city was still under strict quarantine from the COVID-19 pandemic. Snapshots of Pelosi with wet hair and her mask off made waves as the salon owner, Erica Kious, went on Fox News to slam the Speaker's rule-breaking. "If she's in there comfortably without a mask and feeling safe, then why are we shut down?" she said.

According to Pelosi, she had called the salon beforehand to find out what was allowable under quarantine guidelines. She claimed she always wore a mask and that the photo caught her right after she had washed her hair. "It was a setup, and I take responsibility for falling for a setup," she said.

Her stylist backed her up, noting that Kious made "vitriolic and incendiary comments" about Pelosi when she found out the Speaker was booked. He said Kious held Pelosi responsible for "temporarily suspending operations of Ms. Kious' business" despite the shutdown orders coming from California Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco's mayor.

President Donald Trump weighed in as the story made national headlines, saying, "Nancy, you're not supposed to get set up, you're representing our country."