Pelosi: ‘I’m Not Denying’ Trump ‘A Platform’ With SOTU Date Request

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters that she’s not “denying” the President a “platform” by requesting the State of the Union be postponed until the government is reopened and reiterated that her ask is about security and ensuring personnel are paid.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference on Thursday, Pelosi argued that the date of the SOTU is not “sacred for any reasons” and said it was just a calendar date that was “negotiated” between Congress and the White House.

“I’m not denying him a platform at all,” she told reporters. “I’m saying let’s get a date when government is open, let’s pay the employees, maybe he thinks it’s okay not to pay people who do work. I don’t and my caucus doesn’t either.”

When asked how she would respond if President Trump ignored her request and tried to carry on with the original speech date of January 29, she said, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“We haven’t heard — he’s very silent, more than 24 hours … We haven’t heard yet,” she said.