Personally, I'd be very happy to see the president* show up at the Capitol next Tuesday to deliver his State of the Union Tirade, only to have Nancy Pelosi set the Capitol Police on him for trespassing. But that's why I don't have a career in government. On Wednesday, the president* attempted to bum-rush his way to the Speaker's podium by dispatching the following bit of spittle-flecked bluster in Pelosi's general direction.

Dear Madam Speaker: Thank you for your letter of January 3, 2019, sent to me long after the Shutdown began, inviting me to address the Nation on January 29th as to the State of the Union. As you know, I had already accepted your kind invitation, however, I then received another letter from you dated January 16, 2019, wherein you expressed concerns regarding security during the State of the Union Address due to the Shutdown. Even prior to asking, I was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Secret Service to explain that there would be absolutely no problem regarding security with respect to the event. They have since confirmed this publicly.

Accordingly, there are no security concerns regarding the State of the Union Address. Therefore, I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my Constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union.

Win McNamee Getty Images

I look forward to seeing you on the evening on January 29th in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. 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!



My favorite part is that final exclamation point, which draws attention to the president*'s apparent belief that the House chamber is designed to be set decoration for His Magnificence. But the fact remains that Pelosi can tell him to pound sand, and there's literally nothing he can do about it. Not only does he need a valid invitation from Pelosi, he also needs resolutions passed by both houses of Congress, which aren't going to happen as long as parts of the government are still dark.

I guarantee you, someone in the brain trust at Camp Runamuck convinced him that this letter would be a power move, and, since the president* doesn't have the vaguest idea how anything works, he bit for the plan. If he wants to have a rally instead, he can certainly have one. But his constitutional obligation reads as follows:

He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.

I guess he could tell them all to tune in to Hannity that night.

Update (3:07 p.m.): The sand, it can be pounded now.

From The Hill:

“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,” she wrote.

Your persona is non grata, Sparky.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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