President Donald Trump will wait until the government shutdown is resolved before delivering his State of the Union address in front of a joint session of Congress, he revealed Thursday morning.
As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of the Union Address. I agreed. She then changed her mind because of the Shutdown, suggesting a later date. This is her prerogative – I will do the Address when the Shutdown is over. I am not looking for an….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2019
….alternative venue for the SOTU Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber. I look forward to giving a “great” State of the Union Address in the near future!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2019
Trump’s plans put to rest a high stakes showdown between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the president. Pelosi originally sought to discourage Trump from delivering his State of the Union address before Congress while the government remained partially shutdown, saying that it could not be held because of security concerns from the shutdown’s effect on protection personnel. (RELATED: Trump Holds Fast On Shutdown As Advisers Warn Of Consequences)
Pelosi, however, was rebuked by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who said that the department was fully prepared to provide security if necessary. Trump referenced this rebuke Wednesday in his letter to Pelosi, essentially daring her to actually cancel the event. “There are no security concerns regarding the State of the Union Address,” he wrote. “Therefore, I will be honoring your invitation.”
Trump concluded that “it would be so very sad for our Country if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!”
President Trump’s letter to Speaker Pelosi on the State of the Union pic.twitter.com/B4QN9hDJnv
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 23, 2019
Pelosi followed through on Trump’s dare, writing him in response.
“I am writing to inform you that the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the president’s State of the Union address in the House Chamber until the government has been reopened,” she wrote.
BREAKING: @SpeakerPelosi to decline steps to permit a State of the Union Jan 29 pic.twitter.com/ZDbKGjduNT
— Kelly O’Donnell (@KellyO) January 23, 2019