President Donald Trump was just informed of Speaker Pelosi’s refusal to allow him to hold his State of the Union address to Congress while the government is shut down during a round table discussion on pharmaceutical drug prices.
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Needless to say, he was not pleased.
“I’m not surprised. It’s really a shame, what’s happening with the Democrats–they’ve become radicalized… This will go on for a while” whined the President to the cameras, in what appeared to be a meek show of acceptance.
President Trump responds to Speaker Nancy Pelosi rebuffing him on holding the State of the Union in the House chamber until the government is open: “I’m not surprised. It’s really a shame” https://t.co/VQdVlGpSG9 pic.twitter.com/SKNPbNEUdn
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 23, 2019
It soon became clear that the President actually was admitting defeat in his later remarks, saying that it was “sad” that he wouldn’t be doing the speech in the “beautiful” capital but instead would be doing “something in the alternative,” whatever that might mean.
TRUMP seems to concede defeat on the State of the Union: "We'll be doing something in the alternative. We'll be talking about that at a later date." pic.twitter.com/VgzjQmNUBW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 23, 2019
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This morning, the presidentTrump sent a letter to Pelosi in which he stated that he will be using the initial and since revoked invitation to give his State of the Union on January 29th despite the more recent disinvitation by Pelosi over the continued shutdown.
But Pelosi stood strong, and informed Trump that the House of Representatives— which she controls— will not consider authorizing the president’s address until the government opens back up.
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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
Reports that came out yesterday indicated that the president might be holding two State of The Union addresses — one to Congress and one rally-style address outside of Washington D.C., and has already prepared a second speech for the occasion.
NEW: President Trump is preparing two State of the Union speeches for different audiences, sources tell ABC News https://t.co/nVMfyqn0k2 pic.twitter.com/xmsto2u98Q
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 22, 2019
It looks like he’s going to have to go with the second option as his obstinate refusal to re-open the government drags his approval ratings into the dirt and is now keeping him from his favorite thing — a national spotlight and a chance to tout his imaginary accomplishments in front of three hundred million people.
Kudos to Speaker Pelosi for not giving an inch of ground in either this battle over the speech or over the wall funding. It’s about time we had a Democratic leader with some backbone to lead the resistance against Trump and his agenda.