President Trump snubbed a handshake offer by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the start of his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Trump walked into the House chamber to raucous applause from GOP members of Congress and handed copies of his speech to Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who was seated next to the speaker.
After he handed a copy of the speech to Pelosi, she reached out and offered the president her hand for a shake. Instead of reaching out his hand to meet hers, Trump turned his back on the woman who led the House of Representatives to impeach him on two articles and faced the auditorium, clapping along with senators and members of Congress who were applauding his entrance as Pelosi gave a shrug.
Chants of “four more years” broke out from GOP lawmakers and other supporters who were there to cheer on the president.
Trump’s speech on Tuesday was scheduled for an especially fraught time between the executive branch and Congress. The Senate is set to end an impeachment trial on Wednesday with an acquittal, clearing the president of wrongdoing.
Democrats have accused Trump of using his office to force a foreign country to investigate his political rivals in the impeachment trial and then obstructing Congress by refusing to turn over documents or let staffers testify. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
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