Pelosi says Trump isn’t ‘man enough to show up’ for Jan. 6 testimony
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned President Donald Trump that he’d be in a tough spot for his first State of the Union address if he didn’t show up Tuesday night.
After Pelosi spoke to reporters Saturday night, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer spoke to her briefly.
“He’s really not going to be up for that,” Hoyer said. “He’s not able to make himself available.”
So will he?
“I will be up for it,” Pelosi said Sunday morning. “It’s time for our president to stand up, and if he doesn’t, he really doesn’t come up here every day, to put himself in a position to be able to say something, to be able to say something to the people of America.”
Trump will address Congress for the first time Tuesday night for a State of the Union address and for the first time since 1999. Pelosi is among the speakers who have come out in favor of Trump making the speech.
House Speaker Paul Ryan called the prospect of Trump skipping the speech “embarrassing” and “unfortunate.”
“I’ve spoken to him, and I said, ‘You better show up there in whatever capacity you can,’” Ryan said Monday. “I don’t want him to have any excuses.”
Ryan, who is from Wisconsin and is the president’s running mate, will give his own address Tuesday night.
Trump’s first appearance in the House chamber — and his first appearance in the chamber since he was elected — is also his first appearance at the Capitol since he was sworn in as president in January.
He has no speaking plans for his first year in office, instead continuing to manage his business empire. But he has been known to use the address to bash the press, and to highlight his administration’s accomplishments.
For example, he will likely highlight the tax overhaul and infrastructure plan he and Congressional Republicans have worked to pass.
Trump has also
