After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sent a letter to President Donald Trump suggesting he postpone his January 29 State of the Union until after the government reopened, few expected the President not to retaliate with his trademark vindictiveness.
The letter was seen as an attempt to pressure Trump into lessening his bulwark against functional democracy by foregoing his demand of $5 billion dollars for a wall at the southern border and put an end to the longest shutdown in government history.
Today, I wrote to @realDonaldTrump recommending that we delay the State of the Union until after government re-open… https://t.co/ot1LQzoHWQ— Nancy Pelosi (@Nancy Pelosi) 1547650250.0
Sure enough, days after, the President struck back with a letter of his own. He cancelled a planned Congressional Delegation (CoDel) to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan that Speaker Pelosi was set to embark on that day. For national security and personal safety reasons, CoDels to areas of conflict are usually classified until the delegation lands at its destination.
This was seen by many as a petty rebuke of Pelosi unbefitting of a United States President. But according to the White House, it was just a coincidence. CNN's White House Correspondent Jim Acosta isn't buying it.
A WH official has told the WH pool that Trump's move is "not a response" to Pelosi. Fact check: Yeah right.— Jim Acosta (@Jim Acosta) 1547756837.0
Neither are many of the American people.
@Acosta Trump is a small, petty baby who has no, No, NO relationship with the truth.— Iam (@Iam) 1547771691.0
@Acosta Total Narc move. Lash out in retaliation childishly, when called on it, say that it didn't happen.— Cactus Juice 🌵 (@Cactus Juice 🌵) 1547770770.0
@Acosta The lies are more transparent than my grandchild’s. And he’s four.— Susan Vaught (@Susan Vaught) 1547765823.0
@Acosta LOL - of course the man baby wouldn't do that - LOL..LOL...LOL— BJ (@BJ) 1547761288.0
@Acosta Another whopper but not the Burger King kind.— John Mennel (@John Mennel) 1547764375.0
However, some are taking the White House at its word, especially considering the messenger.
For most of his presidency, the Trump administration and Trump himself have instilled a visceral abhorrence of Acosta in many of the President's supporters. Because the message came from him, some Americans were determined to dismiss it.
@Acosta Dear Diary, I am a “journalist”. https://t.co/ZK6Kqgu71l— Greg B (@Greg B) 1547817453.0
@Acosta And so what if it is? Who in the hell does she think she is, exactly? If she dishes it out, she better damn well be able to take it.— Kathy Sober (@Kathy Sober) 1547826984.0
@Acosta If @SpeakerPelosi was serious about making a deal to stop the shutdown she would have canceled her trip on her own.— TZilla (@TZilla) 1547757153.0
@Acosta She shouldn't be going anywhere, as a matter of fact they all should be locked in the building until it's w… https://t.co/CfCKqVc926— Brian Vuona (@Brian Vuona) 1547768305.0
Speaker Pelosi—who is second in line for the Presidency—declined to pursue a commercial flight to make the trip for obvious reasons of security. Before noting the threat the President's spotlight on the trip brought, she remained demure when addressing whether or not the instance was a retaliation, asking a question that many Americans need to answer: "I don't think the President would be that petty, do you?"
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on whether Pres. Trump's cancellation of congressional trip was "retaliation" for her suggesti… https://t.co/gmfZ0wLag4— ABC News (@ABC News) 1547835433.0
Do you?