President Donald Trump waves during a summit on transforming mental health treatment to combat homelessness, violence, and substance abuse, at the he Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 2:20 PM PT — Friday, December 20, 2019
President Trump has accepted Nancy Pelosi’s invitation to deliver the State of the Union Address in 2020. White House officials confirmed the president accepted the invitation on Friday afternoon following a letter from the House Speaker.
In the letter, Pelosi asked him to speak before a joint session of Congress “in the spirit of respecting our Constitution.”
NEW: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invites President Trump to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020. pic.twitter.com/gDLan1nacE
— Elma Aksalic (@ElmaAksalic) December 20, 2019
The remark drew criticism from Republicans, who felt the congresswoman has been going against the Constitution during the ongoing impeachment proceedings. The president has said Democrats didn’t allow the White House to include its lawyers or witnesses during impeachment hearings in the House.
So after the Democrats gave me no Due Process in the House, no lawyers, no witnesses, no nothing, they now want to tell the Senate how to run their trial. Actually, they have zero proof of anything, they will never even show up. They want out. I want an immediate trial!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, on the day after the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on two charges, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
This followed the speaker’s recent decision to delay both impeachment articles from reaching the Senate. In response, President Trump called for a Senate trial to commence immediately, adding Democrats understand their case for impeachment is very weak.
The House Democrats were unable to get even a single vote from the Republicans on their Impeachment Hoax. The Republicans have never been so united! The Dem’s case is so bad that they don’t even want to go to trial!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2019
Last year’s State of the Union was delayed by disagreements over government funding and the border wall. This lead to the iconic Oval Office dispute between the president, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
At that time, Pelosi uninvited President Trump from giving the State of the Union Address, citing security concerns due to the government funding issue. Ultimately, the president delivered the address after a delay.
The speaker’s timing this year appeared to be calculated. The address is set to come after the Iowa caucuses, which are important to House Democrats.
It remains unclear whether the Senate impeachment trial will overlap with the address, which is set for February 4th, 2020.
Related: President Trump: Impeachment Trial Must Be Held Immediately
FILE – In this Feb. 5, 2019 file photo, President Donald Trump turns to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., as he delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, as Vice President Mike Pence watches. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
