President Donald Trump acted like a petty child on Thursday by sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) postponing a government trip overseas to visit the troops in retaliation to her letter asking him to delay the State of the Union Address until the government shutdown ends.
On Wednesday, Pelosi cited “security concerns” to justify the request seeing as how Secret Service has not been paid since the shutdown began and it would be unfair to ask them to work such a major event without pay. She suggested rescheduling it after the shutdown or for Trump to submit it in writing.
“Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after the government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th,” she wrote.
Republicans like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Fox News hosts threw a hissy fit over the letter, which they characterized as insulting.
But Trump, ever the petty child, retaliated on Thursday by sending a letter to Pelosi informing her that he is canceling her official trip to Afghanistan. He suggested she fly commercial and end by demanding wall funding.
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!
This is such a petty response to Pelosi.
Trump literally canceled her scheduled trip minutes before the military plane was scheduled to take off. It should also be pointed out that Trump himself flew on Air Force One to Iraq during the shutdown and even other Republican lawmakers have made official trips overseas in the same time period. He didn’t give a damn about the shutdown then, and still doesn’t. This is a simple tit-for-tat response because he’s not getting his way.
In addition, military pilots are being paid during the shutdown since the Department of Defense is fully funded, and Pelosi was going to visit American troops serving in a war zone, thus, Trump deprived these soldiers of a visit from their House Speaker.
And Trump could not even get the details of her trip right, incorrectly claiming that she is going to Egypt and Brussels. But there is no stop in Egypt and Brussels is merely a refueling stop.
“The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines,” a spokesperson for Pelosi told CNN.
Perhaps, the House should look into denying Trump the use of Air Force One and force him to fly in coach on commercial airlines.
Of course, Trump’s letter only deepens the divide and makes ending the shutdown a whole lot more difficult. Pelosi had legitimate concerns about the State of the Union being delivered during the shutdown. Trump’s decision is based entirely on malice and retaliation. This is the kind of petty bullsh*t Americans are getting sick and tired of which is why his poll numbers are tanking. If he really cared about federal workers, he would agree to fund the government without a wall. It’s that simple.
But our toddler president refuses to act like an adult, and this letter proves it without a shadow of a doubt.
Featured Image: Screenshot
