President Trump to hold rally in El Paso after mentioning it in State of the Union

President Donald Trump will return to the U.S.-Mexico border next week amid ongoing negotiations to avoid another government shutdown and as the White House lays the groundwork for declaring a national emergency to build a border wall.

A day after a State of the Union address in which Trump discussed the need for bipartisanship, the president's campaign announced he would hold his first political rally of the year on Monday in El Paso, Texas, a city that was featured in his speech.

As a bipartisan group of lawmakers races against a Feb. 15 deadline to keep the government open and address Trump's demand for billions in border security money, the White House has continued to prepare a Plan B approach: Declaring a national emergency at the border to free up funding for the wall.

An emergency could give Trump a quick exit from his ongoing impasse with Congress over the wall, but it could also tie his signature domestic policy priority in legal battles.

“As the president continues his fight to secure our border, there’s no better place to demonstrate that walls work than in El Paso," said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of Trump's campaign.

More: Fact check State of the Union: Trump says El Paso among most dangerous cities until fence

During the State of the Union, Trump claimed El Paso used to be considered a dangerous city and that it only became safe after a fence was constructed.

“The border city of El Paso, Texas used to have extremely high rates of violent crime – one of the highest in the entire country, and considered one of our nation's most dangerous cities," Trump said. "Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.”

A fact check by the El Paso Times shows that the crime rate in El Paso decreased before the fencing was constructed.

The president's comments angered many leaders in El Paso, including Mayor Dee Margo, a Republican, who tweeted, "El Paso was NEVER one of the MOST dangerous cities in the US."

On Wednesday morning, Margo said he was pleased to hear about the rally.

"I think it’s a positive he’s coming here," he told the El Paso Times. "I’ve been saying for months that I want to talk about the border and now he’s coming to El Paso. I hope he’ll allow me the chance to visit with him."

More: Trump's claim about El Paso's crime rate in State of the Union was a "sucker punch"

Trump's last campaign event in Texas was during the midterm elections, when he spoke at a rally for Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: President Trump to hold rally in El Paso after mentioning it in State of the Union