US President Trump is delivering his State of the Union address tonight, one week later than originally scheduled after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disinvited him during the partial government shutdown.
The White House said that Trump will use the annual address in the House chamber before a joint session of Congress to call for optimism and unity, with presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway saying he will, quote, “call for an end to the politics of resistance, retribution,” adding, “He’s calling for cooperation.”
Trump is expected to highlight areas in which he believes the parties could work together, including infrastructure, trade and prescription drug pricing.
But the president is also expected to again push his demand for funds for a border wall, the issue over which his insistence led to the shutdown, and has suggested he may declare a national emergency to get the money if Congress won’t approve it.
- The Democratic response will be delivered by Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost her election bid last November to become Georgia’s first black governor. Party leaders are strongly encouraging her to run for Senate in the state.
I see Schumer is already criticizing my State of the Union speech, even though he hasn’t seen it yet. He’s just upset that he didn’t win the Senate, after spending a fortune, like he thought he would. Too bad we weren’t given more credit for the Senate win by the media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2019
- Trump’s guests who will be sitting with First Lady Melania Trump will include Anna Marie Johnson, the 63-year-old woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grader from Delaware who has said he was bullied because of his last name.
Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student, has "been bullied in school due to his last name," the White House said. He is one of the Trumps' State of the Union guests. https://t.co/nIAKpFWYBC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 5, 2019
