At least 12 Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott Trump’s State of the Union address

At least a dozen Democratic members of Congress plan to boycott President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the Capitol next Tuesday and are scheduled to attend a rally on the National Mall instead.

Progressive groups MoveOn and MeidasTouch announced Wednesday that they are holding a “People’s State of the Union” rally at 8:30 pm ET near the Capitol. The event is billed as “counterprogramming” to “President Trump’s night full of lies and things that matter to the American people.” The groups said, “Democratic lawmakers will be joined on stage by everyday Americans who have been most affected by Trump’s dangerous agenda.”

Lawmakers who plan to skip the speech and attend the meeting, according to organizers, include Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, and Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Becca Balint of Vermont, Greg Veronic Casar Eliaya of Texas, Veronic Casar Eliaya of Texas, Despal Casar Eliaya 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 in a post on X Wednesday. “Trump is marching America toward fascism, and I refuse to normalize his dismantling of our Constitution and democracy. This cannot be business as usual.”

Murphy said in a statement that Trump made a “mockery” of the State of the Union speech, “taking a moment meant to unite the country and turning it into a rallying cry to spew hatred and division.” He added, “Democrats have no responsibility 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 speech “is intended to reflect our nation’s progress, our shortcomings, and the common goals that lie ahead of us.”

“Instead of sitting through what has become President Trump’s self-congratulations, lies, and annual divisive rhetoric, I look forward to a night of standing with our colleagues, activists, activists, and everyday Americans who are committed to doing real and honest work to protect our rights, strengthen our communities, and hold those in power accountable,” she said.

Reached for comment, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson criticized Democrats for voting against the tax cuts and opposing other parts of Trump’s agenda such as border security. “It’s no wonder they refuse to celebrate and honor the Americans who have benefited from the commonsense policies Republicans have governed with,” she said.

Historically, a president’s opposition conveys its opposition to an annual speech with an official response immediately after the speech. But since Trump took the first term as president, in addition to providing an official response, Democrats have expressed their opposition in other ways. A number of Democratic lawmakers skipped the president’s speech, walked out of the room during the speech, were kicked out of the house or took other steps to make their disdain for his words clear.

During Trump’s speech last year, called a joint address to Congress in the first year of the presidency, Rep. Al Green of Texas, was removed from the House chamber by the sergeant-at-arms after he taunted Trump. Many Democrats came out in protest after Trump snubbed Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, called her “Pocahontas”. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, and Rep. Maxine Waters of California, was among the Democrats who completely boycotted the address. Some Democrats who attended the speech held up white signs when Trump spoke calling him a “king” and a “liar” and others chanting “Save Medicaid” and “Musk Steals”

As soon as Trump finished his final State of the Union address in his first term in 2020, then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California, tore up a copy of the speech as she stood behind him on the stage.

“I tore up the false manifesto,” Pelosi later told reporters of the move. “It was necessary to make the American people aware that, ‘This is not true, and this is how it affects you,'” he said. “And I don’t need a lesson from anyone — especially the president of the United States — about dignity.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York told reporters on Tuesday that it is his “current intention to be at the State of the Union” next week. If the Democrats regain control of the House majority in the midterm elections, and if Jeffries is chosen as speaker, he may be sitting behind Trump in his speech next year.

“We don’t go to his house. He comes home, and it’s a people’s house,” said Jeffries. “And growing up where I did, you never let anyone push you out of your place.”