No venue can compete with ‘history and tradition’, says president, after Nancy Pelosi blocks him from making speech in House chamber

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Donald Trump has said he will wait until the government shutdown is over before giving his State of the Union address because nowhere could compete with the “history and tradition” of the House chamber.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi told the president on Wednesday that she would block him from delivering the speech in the House of Representatives chamber in Congress until the government has reopened.

Trump abruptly reversed course late on Wednesday, after previously insisting he would deliver the address as scheduled on 29 January, in the House or by choosing an alternative venue. The news came as new polling showed just 34% of Americans approve of the president’s job performance.

Pelosi bars Trump from delivering State of the Union in House – live Read more

Pelosi’s formal postponing of Trump’s State of the Union speech had led to speculation he could instead speak from the Oval Office at the White House, the Senate chamber at the other end of the Capitol or even from the US-Mexico border.

But on Wednesday night he said he was not considering any other venues “because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber. He added that he looked forward to giving a “great” speech “in the near future”.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 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) ....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!

Trump’s toned-down tweet came after 30 Democrats wrote to Pelosi asking her to offer Trump a vote on border security should he agree to end the shutdown. The group was led by Elaine Luria, a first-term congresswoman from Virginia, who said she would be open to a “physical barrier” along the border.

“He’s not talking about a wall from sea to shining sea,” Luria said.

“That is not what we are talking about. We are talking about physical barriers as recommended by experts.”

The standoff over federal funding for Trump’s proposed border wall intensified after Pelosi told the president of her decision.

“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 government has opened,” the House speaker wrote in a letter to the US president on Wednesday.

“I look forward to welcoming you to the House on a mutually agreeable date for this address when government has been opened.”

Passage of a resolution is required before the president can speak in the House. The speech had been set for 29 January.

On Thursday an Associated Press-NORC poll revealed that Trump’s approval rating was down to 34%, a drop from 42% a month earlier. Trump’s rating among Republicans remained strong, however, with 80% having a positive view of his performance.

Trump’s decision to delay the annual presidential January tradition of delivering the State of the Union speech was immediately criticized by some conservatives. Fox News host Laura Ingraham said it was a “bad decision” by the president.

Trump has insisted Pelosi’s disinvitation is politically motivated. On Wednesday the president told reporters he was “not surprised” by Pelosi’s decision not to authorize his State of the Union address during the shutdown. “It’s really a shame what’s happening with the Democrats. They’ve become radicalized,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

“They don’t want to see crime stopped, which we could very easily do on the southern border. He added of the shutdown: “This will go on for a while.”

The longest shutdown in US history has now dragged on into its second month. The partial shutdown affects about 25% of the federal government, has left 800,000 government workers without pay cheques and has had a damaging effect on a range of agencies and services from the IRS to the FBI and national parks.

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Pelosi urged the president last week to postpone the event, citing security concerns amid the shutdown. She said Trump could otherwise deliver his speech in writing.

They remain locked in an increasingly personal standoff over Trump’s demand for $5.7bn in funding for his border wall, which forced the shutdown.

The Republican leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, said the address should be “in the House chamber as we have always done. This is not the time to play politics.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report