WASHINGTON — Among the more unexpected moments during President Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday night was seeing Senator Elizabeth Warren rise to her feet in applause.
Senator Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat known for her progressive stance and vocal criticism of Trump, found common ground with the president on one particular issue. Her applause came when Trump urged Congress to enact the Stop Insider Trading Act.
“To ensure that all Americans can benefit from a thriving stock market, we must prevent members of Congress from exploiting insider information for personal gain. I urge you to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act without delay,” Trump stated.
This legislation aims to prohibit lawmakers, along with their spouses and dependent children, from purchasing publicly traded stocks. Additionally, it requires them to provide a seven-day public notice before any stock sale.
Warren has been a longstanding advocate for similar reforms, aligning her with this aspect of the president’s agenda.
Her reaction was mirrored by several other Democrats who also stood and applauded, capturing the attention of the president.
“They stood up for that — I can’t believe it,” Trump exclaimed. “Did Nancy Pelosi stand up for that?”
“Doubt it,” he added. The bill has cleared a House committee but is awaiting a full vote in the lower chamber.
Republicans have long needled Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over well-timed trades her husband has made over the years.
Pelosi has a net worth of more than $269 million, according to Quiver Quantitative, making the retiring rep one of the wealthiest lawmakers in Congress.
The former House speaker glared at Trump after he lodged the broadside against her.
She sat next to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and took some notes during Trump’s speech.
Trump’s dig at her was revenge of sorts in their longstanding feud. During his prior State of the Union address in 2020, Pelosi infamously tore up Trump’s speech in full view of the cameras within the House chamber to see.
The president did get occasional applause from Democrats throughout his marquee address. Warren was also seen standing after Trump said that Iran can’t be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
For the most part, Democrats sat through Trump’s speech in distress, rarely clapping for him. Several Democrats, including Reps. Al Green (D-Texas), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) interrupted him.
For the second year in a row, Green was ejected from the House chamber during Trump’s speech, this time for waving around a sign that read, “Black People Aren’t Apes” in a jab at the president’s Truth Social posting debacle earlier this month.
Omar and Tlaib left early after repeatedly heckling Trump throughout the speech.
