At least more than two dozen Democratic lawmakers are planning to skip President Donald Trump's upcoming State of the Union address and hold a counter-rally on the National Mall in protest.
The event is being hosted by progressive media company MediasTouch and left-wing advocacy group MoveOn Civic Action.
The “People's State of the Union” will provide counter-programming to a “night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people" at the formal State of the Union,” according to the hosts.
The event, which begins at 8 p.m. EST February 24, will include appearances by at least a dozen Congressional Democrats. Liberal media personalities Joy Reid and Katie Phang will host the event.
Senators Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, and Chris Murphy, as well as Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Veronica Escobar, and Pramila Jayapal are among the lawmakers attending.
“Donald Trump has made a mockery of the State of the Union speech,” Murphy said in a press conference announcing the event. “Democrats have no obligation to reward him with an audience as he lies and attacks people who disagree with him.”
Murphy went on to say that "showing up for this speech puts a veneer of legitimacy on the corruption and lawlessness that has defined [Trump's] second term."
Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is also planning to attend, said the nation cannot respond to Trump’s second term as though it’s “business as usual.”
"Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy. This cannot be business as usual,” Van Hollen wrote in a post on X.
A second event, happening an hour earlier, will be called the “State of the Swamp” and will feature appearances and remarks from Senator Ron Wyden, Representatives Eric Swalwell and Jason Crow, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, celebrities including Robert De Niro, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Arnold, and media personalities Mehdi Hasan, Don Lemon, and Jim Acosta, among numerous others.
That event will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and will be livestreamed on Defiance.org, Youtube, SubStack, and likely on social media as well. The livestream is free but there are optional paid tiers for those who want to give money. In-person tickets for the event are reportedly sold out.
Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries has encouraged members to either attend the address “in silent defiance” or a counter event but not bail entirely.
“We’re not going to Donald Trump’s house,” he said last week. “He’s coming to our house. It’s my view that you don’t let anyone, ever, run you off of your block.”
The White House shrugged at the planned Democratic snubs.
“It’s not a surprise that they refuse to celebrate and honor the Americans who have benefited from the commonsense policies Republicans have governed with,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Politico.
State of the Union protests are not uncommon.
During last year's address, some Democrats waved little paddles with short protest messages on them. The paddles included phrases like “Save Medicaid,” “Musk Steals” and “False."
At former President Joe Biden's final State of the Union address, then-Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor showed up to the event wearing a red MAGA hat and a shirt that said "Say Her Name," referencing 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by a Venezuelan migrant who was in the country illegally.
In 2020, 10 Democrats refused to attend Trump's State of the Union address, and three others walked out.
Trump will give his address even amid a partial government shutdown.
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