President Trump said late Wednesday that he is backing down in his fight with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and will deliver his State of the Union address when the partial government shutdown is over.
His move, which he revealed on Twitter, is a reversal from just hours earlier, when he said he was looking for an alternative site to deliver the speech.
“I am not looking for an alternative venue for the SOTU Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber,” the president said.
He said he would deliver a “great” speech “in the near future.”
The president did chide Mrs. Pelosi for reversing herself and revoking his invitation to speak, though he said that was “her prerogative.”
Earlier Wednesday, Mrs. Pelosi officially revoked her invitation sent in early January offering Mr. Trump the House chamber, the customary location, for a Jan. 29 speech.
Using the chamber requires a vote — usually done unanimously — but Mrs. Pelosi said this year that she would refuse to even allow the vote, thus denying use of the chamber.
Her move was the latest in a series of escalations between herself and Mr. Trump, the top Democrat and top Republican in Washington.
The president’s tweets Wednesday night seemed to offer a cooling down of the tensions.
When the speech will happen now appears to rest on when the shutdown ends. Mr. Trump had said earlier Wednesday, after being told of Mrs. Pelosi’s postponement decision, that it signaled the shutdown would go on a long time.
He also called her revocation of the invitation a “blotch” on history.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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