Rep. Tom Emmer: House Should Rethink SOTU Invites

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House leadership should rethink inviting presidents to give an annual State of the Union, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Axios.

Emmer offered his opinion after President Joe Biden gave a “divisive” speech in which he took aim at former President Donald Trump with many verbal attacks on March 7.

“That was about the most divisive State of the Union — I wouldn’t extend him an invitation next year, if that’s what we’re going to get,” Emmer told Axios at the House GOP retreat in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

“He’s not going to be there next year — it’ll be a different president. But I think you’ve got to rethink issuing invitations for a State of the Union if it’s not going to be a State of the Union, and that was not. That was a campaign speech.”

Emmer said the president should have attempted to unify the country during the State of the Union instead of conducting a partisan attack.

Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, actually could be in office next year if he defeats former President Donald Trump, the expected Republican nominee, in the November general election.

Other Republicans tried to prevent Biden from appearing before Congress this year.

Former House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., called for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to rescind his invitation to Biden unless the president took stronger action to address securing the border.

In the upper chamber, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced legislation aimed at prohibiting Biden from delivering the speech unless he submitted his budget and national security proposal on time, the New York Post reported.

Biden’s State of the Union wasn’t well received by most Americans, according to four polls taken following his speech.

A total of 59% of registered voters told HarrisX/Forbes pollsters that Biden’s speech served to divide the country further, not unify it, compared to 41% who said the opposite.

The president’s address also didn’t do much to boost his numbers in other polls, including YouGov, Yahoo, Rasmussen, FiveThirtyEight, and Morning Consult.