While the war of words continues between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump over whether or not to delay or submit in writing the annual State of the Union address, the White House has been in the process of making contingency plans for possible hosting locations for the speech other than the US Capitol.

Two states – Michigan and North Carolina – both extended invitations last week for the president to give the address in their respective state houses.

On the Michigan invite, the Detroit Free Press reported:

On Friday, Michigan’s new House speaker, Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, offered up the House chamber in Michigan’s state capitol to the president after Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, effectively dis-invited Trump from giving the speech in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 29 as a government shutdown continues.

“There is no higher loyalty or obligation than to the people we serve and the communities we represent, and no partisan gamesmanship should stand in the way of that service. Because of that, this chamber and this speaker are willing to put people before politics for this important occasion,” Chatfield wrote the White House.

Chatfield noted on Twitter Tuesday that the president indicated he had “other plans” for the SOTU:

Thank you @realdonaldtrump for the great conversation earlier this AM and for your continued commitment to the Great Lakes State. I understand you have other plans for #SOTU, but as we discussed, I look forward to hosting you in Michigan again soon. Keep up the great work! @POTUS

— Lee Chatfield (@LeeChatfield) January 22, 2019

As to the North Carolina invite, that is still an open question. NC House Speaker Tim Moore and the president spoke on Monday regarding the offer. From Moore’s press release:

President Trump called Moore just after 8 p.m. on Monday evening after the Speaker’s office received word the commander-in-chief would be in touch earlier that afternoon. The two spoke for about ten minutes.

“President Trump said he was appreciative of the invitation and supported what we are doing here in North Carolina for our economy,” Moore said.

[…]

President Trump thanked Speaker Moore for the invitation to deliver his State of the Union speech in North Carolina and said his team was still determining when the speech would take place.

No commitment was made, but North Carolina – which will be home to the 2020 RNC – is considered a battleground state. A winter visit to the Tar Heel state in an official capacity could be a feather in the president’s cap as the 2020 presidential campaign season starts to heat up.

President Trump won North Carolina in 2016.

— Connect with Sister Toldjah on Twitter.–