File Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Jan. 10, 2019. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will deliver the state of union speech in front of a joint session of Congress on Jan. 29, despite House Speaker Pelosi's suggestion that the speech be pushed back.
In a letter addressed to Pelosi released by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Trump said he would honor an invitation Pelosi extended to him on Jan. 3 to deliver the speech.
"I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfill my Constitution duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union," Trump said in the letter.
Trump acknowledged that Pelosi suggested in the Jan. 16 letter that the speech be postponed or delivered in writing due to security concerns, but he said he had been assured by the Department of Homeland Security that the government shutdown would not pose security risk to the event.
This file photo taken on Dec. 13, 2018 shows Nancy Pelosi speaking during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
"It would be so very sad for our country if the state of the union were not delivered on time, on schedule and very importantly, on location!" Trump said at the end of the letter.
The state of the union speech is traditionally delivered in the chamber of the House of Representatives to a joint session of Congress at the end of January, and is broadcasted to the nation.
