Grab the popcorn and hold all calls. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has invited President Trump to deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 5. And you think the Super Bowl will have hype and hard hits? They could pay for the Wall just by selling commercial spots. Heck, Trump should stop halfway through so Maroon 5 can play a tune, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can show off her dance moves and Tony Romo can predict exactly what Trump will say in the second half of the speech. 

Ten bucks says the new House Democrats will take a knee during his speech. 

Pelosi’s Letter, Trump’s Response

In her formal invitation, Pelosi wrote:

Dear Mr. President:

When I wrote to you on January 23rd, I stated that we should work together to find a mutually agreeable date when government has reopened to schedule this year’s State of the Union address.

In our conversation today, we agreed on February 5th.

Therefore, I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on February 5, 2019 in the House Chamber.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

NANCY PELOSI

Speaker of the House

President Trump quickly sent out his official response. No, it wasn’t “Sorry, got something better to do.”

Dear Madam Speaker:

Thank you for your letter inviting me to deliver the State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. It is my great honor to accept. We have a great story to tell, and yet, great goals to achieve!

I look forward to seeing you on the 5th.

Sincerely,

Donald J. Trump

The Rough Ride Here

The annual address was originally scheduled for tomorrow night, but Pelosi pulled the invitation over the partial government shutdown. Initially, she cited security concerns. That was news to the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security. They insisted they could protect the event just fine. Trump also retaliated by cancelling a planned overseas trip by the Speaker. 

So Pelosi shifted to the inappropriateness of delivering the speech during the shutdown. Trump briefly considered holding the event elsewhere, but decided the history and venue were too important. 

The government reopened today and according to the official invite, Pelosi and Trump got on the horn and settled on next Tuesday.

So there will be a State of the Union next Tuesday. Or in the spirit of what is sure to be a rowdy event, next Tuesday… TUESDAY! … TUESDAY!!!”

But perhaps the bigger news to emerge: For a couple moments today, Speaker Pelosi and President Trump were talking to each other rather than at each other. 

We’ll see how long that lasts. In the meantime, time to stock up on the chips and salsa. 

Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream, and co-author of  The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him @StreamingAl.