The Deputy Director of the FBI in the United States has resigned. It comes just hours before President Donald Trump is to deliver his State of the Union address.

CGTN’s Toby Muse reports.

In a surprise announcement, the deputy director of the FBI stepped down Monday.

Andrew McCabe had been a frequent target of President Trump.

Trump and his supporters have accused McCabe of opposing the president’s agenda.

Newspapers have reported when McCabe visited the White House, Trump asked for his loyalty and questioned him on who he voted for.

Trump has denied the reports. McCabe has yet to speak publicly on his reasons for stepping down.

“The president wasn’t part of this decision-making process, and we would refer you to the FBI. The president stands by his previous comments, but in terms of the situation, today, we’ve seen the reports just as all you have. We don’t have any specific comments,” Sarah Sanders the White House Press Secretary said.

While this drama played out, Trump hosted a luncheon at the White House with the members of the United Nations Security Council.

“Today, we will discuss our cooperation on a range of security challenges, including the de-nuking of North Korea, very importantly; countering Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East, ending the Syrian conflict and confronting terrorism.”, said Donald Trump the President of the United States.

They also discussed ways of defeating the Taliban after a violent start to 2018 which has seen hundreds killed in a series of attacks in Afghanistan.

All of this as Trump prepares to deliver his first State of the Union Speech on Tuesday.

Trump is expected to outline his plans for the next year, including a massive infrastructure program and comprehensive immigration reform.

The president will likely call for changes to existing trade deals the U.S. has with countries across the world.
The White House says the theme of Trump’s State of the Union will be a safe, strong and proud America.