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At least a dozen Democratic members of Congress plan to boycott President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday and are scheduled to attend a rally on the National Mall, instead.
The progressive groups MoveOn and MeidasTouch announced Wednesday that they’re hosting the “People’s State of the Union” rally at 8:30 p.m. ET near the Capitol. The event is billed as “counterprogramming” to “President Trump’s night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people.” The groups said, “Democratic lawmakers will be joined on stage by the everyday Americans most impacted by Trump’s dangerous agenda.”
The lawmakers planning to skip the speech and attend the rally, according to the organizers, are Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, as well as Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Becca Balint of Vermont, Greg Casar of Texas, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey.
“Next week, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. I won’t be there,” Van Hollen wrote Wednesday on X. “Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy. This cannot be business as usual.”
Murphy said in a statement that Trump has made “a mockery” of the State of the Union address, “taking a moment that is meant to bring the country together and turning it into a campaign rally to spew hatred and division.” He added, “Democrats have no obligation to reward him with an audience as he lies and attacks people who disagree with him.”
Similarly, Balint said in a statement that the State of the Union address “is meant to be a serious reflection of our nation’s progress, our shortfalls, and the common goals ahead of us.”
“Instead of sitting through what has become President Trump’s annual self-congratulation, misinformation, and division speech, I look forward to a night of standing with colleagues, organizers, advocates, and everyday Americans who are committed to doing the real and honest work of protecting our rights, strengthening our communities, and holding those in power accountable,” she said.
Reached for comment, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson criticized Democrats for voting against tax cuts and opposing other parts of Trump’s agenda, like border security. “It’s not a surprise that they refuse to celebrate and honor the Americans who have benefitted from the commonsense policies Republicans have governed with,” she said.
Historically, the president’s opposing party conveys its opposition to the annual speech with an official response immediately after the address. But since Trump’s first term as president, in addition to delivering a formal response, Democrats have displayed their dissenting views in other ways. A number of Democratic lawmakers have either skipped the speech, walked out of the chamber mid-address or been thrown out of the chamber or have taken other action to make their disdain for his remarks clear.
During Trump’s speech last year, which is called a joint address to Congress in the first year of a presidential term, Rep. Al Green of Texas was removed from the House chamber by the sergeant-at-arms after he jeered at Trump. Numerous Democrats walked out in protest after Trump taunted Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and called her “Pocahontas.” Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Rep. Maxine Waters of California were among the Democrats who boycotted the address altogether. Other Democrats who attended the speech held up white signs as Trump spoke that called him “king” and “liar” and others that said “Save Medicaid” and “Musk Steals.”
As soon as Trump finished his final State of the Union address during his first term in 2020, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California famously tore up a paper copy of the speech as she stood behind him on the dais.
“I tore up a manifesto of mistruths,” Pelosi later told reporters. “It was necessary to get the attention of the American people to say, ‘This is not true, and this is how it affects you.’ And I don’t need any lessons from anybody — especially the president of the United States — about dignity.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York told reporters Tuesday that it was his “present intention to be at the State of the Union” next week. If Democrats win back control of the House majority in this year’s midterm elections and if Jeffries is elected speaker, he could be sitting behind Trump in his address next year.
“We’re not going to his house. He’s coming to our house, and it’s the people’s house,” Jeffries said. “And having grown up where I grew up, you never let anyone run you off your block.”
