WASHINGTON — Several Democrats intend to boycott President Trump’s State of the Union address, splitting into two significant protest rallies while facing leadership’s urging for decorum.
The Democratic reaction is shadowed by last year’s controversial event, where Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was removed from the House chamber for brandishing a cane, and numerous Democrats carried political signs.
“I hope my fellow Democrats refrain from repeating last year’s actions, which were quite undignified,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) remarked to Fox News on Monday.
Fetterman emphasized respect for the presidency, saying, “You should honor the office, regardless of your opinion of its current occupant. We need to rise above that.”
Key Democratic figures, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), are expected to be present at the event.
“This isn’t Donald Trump’s domain; he’s visiting ours. I firmly believe you should never be pushed away from your territory,” Jeffries told reporters last week.
Instead of skipping Trump’s big speech, they are planning to bring guests to the speech and sit there in defiance.
Schumer announced plans to bring Raiza Contreras, “a Bronx mother whose family has been ripped apart by ICE,” to the speech. Her son, Dylan Lopez Contreras, was detained following a court hearing.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has invited Aliya Rahman, who was yanked from her car in Minneapolis by the feds last month, as her guest.
Meanwhile, Republicans are inviting guests to complement Trump’s agenda, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) welcoming the daughter of a Uyghur doctor detained in China and Hanan Lischinsky, the brother of murdered Israeli Embassy staffer Yaron Lischinsky to the speech.
So many rebuttals to Trump
This go around, Democrats have also planned multiple rebuttals planned in addition to the main party-sanctioned one from Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), illustrating the competing messages and strategies within the party.
Sen. Alex Padilla. (D-Calif.) will be delivering the party’s official Spanish rebuttal.
And. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) will give the progressive response.
Then there’s a myriad of Democratic pols who will be addressing the president’s speech at one of the two counterprogramming events: the “State of the Swamp” in the DC National Press Club or the “People’s State of the Union,” hosted by Joy Reid and Katie Phang in the National Mall.
House Dem speakers at the “People’s State of the Union,” orchestrated by MoveOn Civic Action and set to start about thirty minutes before Trump, include: Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).
Pols addressing the “People’s State of the Union” include Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), according to its organizers.
Meanwhile, the “State of the Swamp” will feature Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), as well as Reps. Jason Crow (D-Col.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), and Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), per its organizers.
A handful of prominent lefty figures outside Congress, such as Don Lemon, George Conway, Mehdi Hasan, Mark Rufallo, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), will partake in that counterprogramming as well.
Several Democrats have announced plans to skip the State of the Union but haven’t revealed plans to attend counterprogramming events, such as Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.).
“My respect for the office of the President of the United States cannot abide the disrespect that Donald Trump shows to that office every day,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) declared. “While I will watch the State of the Union elsewhere, I will not attend in person.”
Trump has hyped up his grand speech, teasing that it’ll be lengthy as he tries to drive home a message that can help Republicans defend their grip on Congress heading into the 2026 midterms.
“I’m going to be making a speech tomorrow night, and it’s going to be a long one because we have so much to talk about,” Trump teased Monday.
