Trump would have looked like 'president-in-exile' unless he bowed to Pelosi's SOTU demands

According to a New York Times columnist appearing on CNN, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) forced Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address or risk looking like an embattled "president-in-exile."

Appearing on CNN's "New Day," journalist Frank Bruni was asked about Trump's threat to give his State of the Union address at an alternate location other than before a joint meeting of both houses of Congress, and said Trump was likely advised it would diminish his standing with the public.

Late Tuesday night the president acquiesced to Pelosi's demand to hold off on delivering his speech to the nation until after the government shutdown was resolved.

"I think that's the key thing here, is that they were talking about alternative venues and I think someone had the wisdom and maturity to say that if the president is giving something he is calling the State of the Union from anywhere but the House chamber, he looks like a president-in-exile. He looks diminished," Bruno explained.

"Whatever stagecraft they bring to it, they can't get away from the fact that he is the first president who, by disinvitation, is not giving the speech in the House chamber, and that fact makes him look small and my guess his people recognize that," he concluded.

You can watch the video below via CNN: