Republicans fear GOP will look dysfunctional at Trump's State of the Union speech
Trump is full steam ahead with his State of the Union address scheduled for Feb. 24 despite alarm bells ringing among GOP insiders over the timing, as the speech lands smack in the middle of an expected partial government shutdown.
Behind closed doors, nervous Republicans quietly sweat the optics, Politico reported Friday.
"It doesn't exactly scream 'a functioning GOP trifecta,'" griped one House Republican granted anonymity.
Republicans are concerned that Trump touting a strong union while a critical chunk of the federal government sits dark could be a bad look.
When asked if postponement was on the table, a senior White House official replied, "Not as of yet."
In 2019, Trump battled former Speaker Nancy Pelosi for more than a week in over delaying an address during a shutdown before finally backing down. This time, Speaker Mike Johnson isn't expected to push for a delay unless Trump requests it.
The DHS funding lapse will drag on through the speech, with the White House and Senate Democrats at loggerheads over immigration enforcement. Lawmakers jetted out of Washington on Thursday with no expectation of being called back early.
White House officials and GOP brass want Trump to use the prime-time address to bury recent negative headlines such as the fatal immigration agent shootings in Minnesota and the Jeffrey Epstein files release, and pivot to economic messaging for the midterms instead.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fired back on Fox News: "President Trump has been, and always will be, on the side of the American people. He wants our government to remain open, and unfortunately, it appears that Democrats are barreling our government towards another shutdown for political and partisan reasons."
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