Washington: US President Donald Trump is going ahead with his plans to deliver the State of the Union Address — either before a joint session of the US Congress or somewhere else in the country — a media report said on Wednesday.
Citing the ongoing partial government shutdown, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has cancelled his scheduled State of the Address on January 29.
The White House has not officially responded to Pelosi’s letter to Trump seeking rescheduling of the State of the Union Address.
“President Trump is preparing two versions of the speech — one that could be delivered in Washington and another that would be held somewhere else in the country, depending on the circumstance, according to a senior White House official,” The Washington Post reported.
While the Trump administration is trying to conduct advance preparation for an address in the House Chambers, according to The Washington Post, Pelosi has the power to determine whether the US President can do so. “Nancy Pelosi does not dictate to the president when he will or will not have a conversation with the American people,” White House Deputy Press Secretary, Hogan Gidley, told Fox News in an interview.
“The President has an incredible story to tell about how far we’ve come in this country economically, in a national security capacity,” he said, as he accused Pelosi of trying to play politics with the Congressional venue for the State of the Union Address, which is done before a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“It’s unclear what options for venues the White House is exploring aside from the House chamber, where State of the Union addresses have been delivered since President Woodrow Wilson’s speech in 1913,” The Washington Post said. (PTI)
