President Donald Trump will become the nation’s second chief executive in history to deliver a State of the Union address while undergoing a Senate trial for impeachment.
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Trump will deliver the address at 9 p.m. Tuesday from the U.S. House chamber, an address that will be carried live here on AJC.com.
Closing arguments in Trump’s impeachment trial are set to conclude Tuesday afternoon, with a final vote on the president’s guilt or innocence set for Wednesday at 4 p.m.
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On Jan. 19, 1999, Bill Clinton delivered his address while also under impeachment proceedings in the Senate.
Democrats are putting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan on the national stage Tuesday to rebut Trump, casting an election-year spotlight on a swing state in the Midwest as the party looks to win back states Trump won in 2016. Whitmer’s selection has led to speculation she could be a running mate pick, though she said she is not interested.
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Whitmer, who rarely mentions Trump, has advised Democratic presidential candidates that Michigan voters are less focused on his Twitter feed than on the “fundamentals” such as fixing deteriorating roads and helping train people for better-paying jobs. She will return to that theme in her 10-minute response to Trump’s address, which she will deliver at East Lansing High School, where her two daughters are enrolled.
“These are the fundamentals that people in America are concerned about,” Whitmer told The Associated Press, adding that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “thought I would have a message that would resonate.”
On Friday, senators voted 51-49 to reject Democrats' demands that witnesses such as former national security adviser John Bolton be subpoenaed. Two Republicans — Maine's Susan Collins and Utah's Mitt Romney — crossed the aisle to vote with the Democratic caucus.
»MORE: Senate votes to block witnesses in Trump impeachment
After the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed closing arguments will be held Monday and Tuesday and the overall vote on Wednesday.
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee was among several Republicans last Friday who voted to block additional witnesses and draw the trial to a close, even though he and others described Trump’s actions as “inappropriate” and “wrong.” Asked Sunday if he would want to hear Trump express regret, as Clinton did after his impeachment trial, Alexander said he doesn’t need to hear it.
“What I hope he would do is when he makes his State of the Union address, that he puts this completely behind him, never mentions it, and talks about what he thinks he's done for the country and where we're headed,” Alexander told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The U.S. Constitution requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate, or 67 senators, to convict in an impeachment trial.
Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, while Democrats hold 45. However, two Independents — including presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont — regularly caucus with Democrats, giving the nation’s blue party 47 votes.
If the Senate votes along party lines regarding impeachment — as did the House — 20 Republican senators would have to join Democrats in convicting Trump and removing him from office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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