Trump to deliver State of the Union address on Feb. 4

[December 21, 2019]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver his annual State of the Union speech on Feb. 4 after accepting an invitation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday.

President Donald Trump is applauded by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer as Trump arrives to announce the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) at a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Pelosi extended the invitation for Trump to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress in a letter that was posted to Twitter by her spokesman, Drew Hammill.

Trump's address could be a feisty one. The invitation comes two days after the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to approve two articles of impeachment against Trump.

The Republican-controlled Senate is expect to hold an impeachment trial beginning in early January. Trump's ouster through the impeachment process appeared unlikely.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Trump had accepted the speaker’s invitation to speak.

(Reporting by Tim Ahmann and Steve Holland; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Nick Macfie)

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