State of the Union 2018: Pelosi urges Democrats to avoid Trump protests so attention is on 'slobbering' president'

'If you want to walk out, don’t come in'

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has reportedly urged Democrats to be on their best behaviour during Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in order to keep the spotlight on the President.

“Let the attention be on his slobbering self,” Ms Pelosi told House Democrats at their weekly private meeting, according to Politico. “If you want to walk out, don’t come in.”

Any kind of Democratic interruption during Mr Trump’s address would likely distract from the party’s attempts to rebut his speech later, she is said to have asserted.

About a dozen House Democrats are expected to skip the State of the Union. Meanwhile, several other members plan to attend but will also engage in some form of protest.

Many Democrats, including Ms Pelosi, are bringing young undocumented immigrants as their guests in an attempt to make a statement against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Mr Trump has yet to reach a deal with Democrats to protect hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the US as children – so-called “Dreamers”.

In his first State of the Union address since taking office last year, Mr Trump is expected to lobby Congress on an immigration proposal that would offer a path to citizenship for nearly 2m Dreamers in exchange for funding for his long-promised border wall.

Ms Pelosi has also reportedly predicted that expectations are so low for the unconventional President’s performance, that he will receive good reviews as long as “his nose isn’t running”.

“If his nose isn’t running and he isn’t burping, he did a great speech,” Ms Pelosi said, according to Politico.