GOP lawmakers offer several locations for Trump address

President Trump won’t be delivering the State of the Union address on the House floor on Jan. 29, but GOP lawmakers are offering a number of alternatives for him to consider.

Most of them involve their own districts, as many of the Republicans would love to host Trump’s speech — if he decides to deliver it someplace outside the Capitol.

Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Trump could come down to the Superdome in New Orleans.  

{mosads}“We are gonna be a little more free the next couple weeks than we should be after the Saints were robbed,” Scalise told The Hill, referring to the NFL team’s loss on a controversial referee’s call on Sunday.

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., would be a “great place” for Trump to give the speech. That was the site of Abraham Lincoln’s historic speech in which he uttered the words: “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.”

“No. 1, it’s in my district. No. 2, it’s great symbolism to talk about how divided government is now and how we need to come together, offer a plan to end the shutdown that’s hurting so many people in this country,” Davis, chairman of the Main Street Caucus, told the Hill.

Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) said he’s suggested a variety of options to the White House.

“I think you need to keep the decorum of the State of the Union so it’s not simply a rally — it’s a State of the Union address, so you need to keep that decorum in place,”  he said.

He suggested finding a place where Trump could engage more with Americans.

“There are places that hold more people comfortably than the House floor does by far — we’re not likely to see many Democrats so there’ll be more space anyway,” he said.

{mossecondads}“I’d love to see it done in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is my district,” joked Rep. Steve Chabot (R). “But in all seriousness, I mean I could see the president doing it at the border or doing it at a stadium or someplace where a lot of people could come in and hear the address. I think it ought to be held here, but if not, I’d like to see it out there somewhere in America and let the American people be involved in it.”

There has been talk of the president holding the address in the Senate, a smaller chamber controlled by Republicans.

Chabot was one of many Republicans who said holding the speech at the border could be an effective strategy in demonstrating their call for increased border security.

“I think that’s up to the president — if I was him I’d go to the border where there’s a whole bunch of folks and have that in the background,” said Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio). “Not in Texas, but actually where the caravans are.” 

“Don’t you think having a speech that night with the wall behind him would be powerful?” Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said to Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday evening.  

Biggs seconded Buck’s sentiment, saying he thinks it could help the president demonstrate why he believes a border wall is a necessary component in securing the border.

“I would like to see him do it at the edge. So, in a place like one of the places we were at yesterday,” the Arizona Republican told The Hill.

“You see the wall and you see this little barbed-wire fence on rickety sticks, the little gate was tied up with a rope with a slipknot on it in case anybody wants to cross the border illegally. They could just take the rope off and pull it down and go through. I think Ken’s right.”

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in stating Wednesday that the House would not vote on a motion inviting Trump to come to the House to deliver the address, said it should not be held during the partial government shutdown, which is now in its 33rd day.

Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said she believes the president should deliver the remarks at the Capitol even if Pelosi retracts the invitation, but said he’s welcome in her home district if he chooses.

“How about Peoria, Ariz., where I live — we can take him over to the Peoria sports complex,” she joked.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said while a speech at the border would send a message, it wouldn’t be an official State of the Union.

“You know, listen, there’s a number of options whether it’s on the Senate side, in the Oval Office or on the border,” he told The Hill.  “I mean maybe the president goes to Texas or Arizona, you know, and makes an address — it wouldn’t be a State of the Union — but an official address from those places. At this point, I think everybody wants to hear what he plans to do for the upcoming year and it would be well received.”