2019 Oval Office address

Not to be confused with the 2019 State of the Union Address.
Video of President Trump's speech

On January 8, 2019, the 17th day of a partial shutdown of the United States federal government, President Donald Trump delivered an address on illegal immigration from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. Major television networks broadcast the president's prime time speech as well as the Democratic response.[1][2]

Trump used the speech to push for Congress to fund the construction of a larger barrier or wall at the border with Mexico, in order to fulfill a key promise of his campaign. Trump's refusal to sign a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open in the absence of funding for the wall had led to the shutdown.[3][4] The address lasted just under ten minutes[5] and was Trump's first to be televised from the Oval Office.[6]

  1. ^ Smith, Allan (January 8, 2019). "Major networks will carry Democratic response to Trump immigration speech". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Stelter, Brian; Darcy, Oliver (January 7, 2019). "Networks set to air Trump's prime time address; Pelosi, Schumer demand equal time". CNN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "Government shutdown: Trump appeals to US TV audience over wall". BBC News. January 8, 2019. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Bradley, Laura (January 8, 2019). "Networks Will Air Trump's Surely Inflammatory Immigration Speech . . . Why?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Barr, Jeremy (January 7, 2019). "Broadcast Networks Deliberate, Then Decide to Carry Trump's Border Speech". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  6. ^ Stelter, Brian (January 8, 2019). "Trump's border address sparks extraordinary debate inside and outside TV networks". CNN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.