The Patriot Post® · Trump Trumps Pelosi's SOTU Power Play

On Thursday, mere hours before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was set to embark on a planned international trip to Brussels and a photo-op stop in Afghanistan, she received the following letter:

Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the Shutdown. Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.

I look forward to seeing you soon and even more forward to watching our open and dangerous Southern Border finally receive the attention, funding, and security it so desperately deserves!

The letter was signed, “Sincerely, Donald Trump.”

Of the 93 people on the Pelosi’s flight, only seven were members of congress – the rest were staff and family. Pelosi has spent millions of taxpayer dollars using oversized government aircraft for vacation junkets in the last two years, including more than $100,000 for food and alcohol on those flights – all paid for out of the Air Force budget.

Trump’s move was clearly a response to Pelosi’s political theatrics earlier this week when she threatened to postpone the annual State of the Union Address until after the partial government shutdown is ended due to bogus “concerns” over security.

Sen. Ted Cruz was spot on regarding Pelosi’s motivation for postponing the SOTU: “It’s not a substantive disagreement; it’s that they’re terrified of their extreme left wing, who hates Trump. And that’s why we’re having a shutdown. So why does Nancy Pelosi not want the State of the Union? Because the State of the Union is an enormous platform for the president to speak directly to the American people, and she doesn’t want people focusing on the substance of this issue. She wants their information to come from the mainstream media rather than the president.”

Mark Alexander speculates further: Pelosi may also be “concerned that new left-wing members of Congress will act poorly during Trump’s remarks.” Recall how foolishly the Democrats behaved during Trump’s SOTU speech last year.

Pelosi and her fellow Democrats are in unfamiliar territory — they’re facing off against a Republican president who is willing to use Democrat hardball tactics. It’s as if they are fighting against their own shadow. It’s also important to note that Trump had already cancelled his trip, and that of our U.S. delegation, to the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, citing the same reason. Trump is sending a clear message: Everyone stays in Washington until this shutdown is resolved.