Deroy Murdock: Trump should deliver his State of the Union – as planned

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Pelosi urges Trump to delay State of the Union address as partial government shutdown drags on

DHS officials dismiss Speaker Nancy Pelosi's security concerns; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'

President Donald Trump should ignore friendly advice about alternative venues for the State of the Union address. Instead, he immediately should write House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and remind her of her January 3 letter inviting him to present his second SOTU on January 29.

Citing supposed safety risks, Pelosi suggested Wednesday that this joint session of Congress be delayed until after the government shutdown. But DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen quickly contradicted Pelosi via Twitter: “The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union.”

So, President Trump should embrace SOTU as the ideal opportunity to make his case dramatically on the shutdown.

DEROY MURDOCK: DEMOCRATS HATE THE WALL BECAUSE TRUMP LOVES IT

Standing before leaders in all three branches of the federal government, Trump will have at least an hour to explain the need for a wall to advance broader border security, the rule of law, and national security and to prevent crime and control deadly drugs. Trump repeatedly can point to his guests in the House gallery who will embody his points.

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On national security, Trump should introduce the Border Patrol agent who arrested Mukhtar Ahmad and Muhammad Azeem just north of Tijuana in September 2015. Both of these Pakistani illegal aliens were on terrorist watch lists.

On fighting crime, Trump should welcome Reggie Singh, the bereaved brother of Newman, Calif., police corporal Ronil Singh. An illegal alien with a rap sheet fatally shot Singh just after Christmas night.

This piece appears courtesy of the National Review Online. To continue reading Deroy Murdock's column, click here.