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Government shutdown: Trump criticised for revealing Nancy Pelosi's secret travel plans in public letter

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Pool/ Getty Images/ Carolyn Kaster/ AP/ Twitter

Donald Trump has attempted to hit back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by denying her a military plane for her planned trips to Belgium, Egypt and Afghanistan.

This comes just a day after Pelosi asked Trump to delay the annual State of the Union address because of the US government shutdown.

In a letter addressed to Pelosi, the White House informed her that she would not be allowed to use a military aircraft and that she should consider rescheduling her trip abroad so that they can talk and bring the shutdown to an end.

The letter which does suggest that she has the option of "flying commercial" was shared on Twitter by White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders:

So, there are two problems here.

Firstly the word 'madame' has been spelt incorrectly (it should be 'madam'), which isn't unsurprising from Trump but you would have thought that someone would have proofread this before posting it on the internet.

Secondly and this is a major problem, Trump is suggesting that a high ranking US politician flies into Afghanistan, a country that is still in the midst of a war, on a regular flight.

Not only is this dangerous but the fact that he put this in a letter and shared it with the rest of the world, therefore giving enemy forces in Afghanistan, like the Taliban, a heads-up is reckless and irresponsible.

He also calls the trip a 'public relations event' and invites her to join the 'Strong Border Security movement' (whatever that is).

Many, many people have been quick to point out the glaring issues that exist in this letter and how problematic it is that the president would make politicians travel plans public.

People aren't quite sure what he means by the 'Strong Border Security movement' or if it even exists.

The 'madame' typo was also picked up on.

This is all a bit rich from Trump, who isn't exactly a stranger to 'public relation events'

Even some Republicans are angry with the letter.

Pelosi's Chief of Staff, Drew Hammill, has since confirmed that she was due to stop in Brussels to meet with NATO commanders but there was no trip planned to Egypt.

Trump's actions have now forced her to cancel the trip which was supposed to be a trip to thank the troops serving in Afghanistan.

Still, this hasn't stopped members of the Trump administration using military planes during the shutdown and claiming that Trump's words don't matter as Pelosi isn't going on the trip anyway.

HT Someecards

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