As President Donald Trump prepares to give the State of the Union address in front of Congress and other government officials on Tuesday, a dozen Democratic legislators have already said they won’t be there. Instead, they’re partnering with progressive groups to organize a competing political rally to protest against the Trump administration.
Progressive groups and Democratic lawmakers schedule a rival rally during the State of the Union speech
The progressive organizations MeidasTouch and MoveOn have announced that they’re organizing a “People’s State of the Union” rally for Washington, D.C., at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday on the National Mall. The date and time coincide with Trump’s delivery of the State of the Union address, and the organizations describe the rally as “counterprogramming” against “President Trump’s night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people.” Generally, the president has delivered the annual address to the nation in front of a joint session of Congress, with many members of his cabinet and other high-ranking government officials in attendance as well. This time, several lawmakers will be absent from Trump’s speech, as they’ve already announced that they’ll skip the address to attend the rally.
Five Democratic senators are currently listed to attend the rally: Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Seven members of the House, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey are also scheduled to skip the State of the Union address to attend the rally. Several other Democratic lawmakers plan to attend a different alternative event, called “State of the Swamp,” that will be held at the National Press Club on the same night. Even more Democrats will either split their time between attending alternative events and then going to the State of the Union or skip Trump’s speech and the rival events.
“Next week, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. I won’t be there,” Van Hollen posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy.”
“I’m not attending his State of the Union to listen to him ramble and lie,” Murray mentioned. “Instead, I’ll be sharing the ways he’s hurting hardworking Americans.”
Building on a history of protests against Trump’s addresses
It won’t be the first time congressional Democrats have protested Trump’s State of the Union. In 2020, then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., infamously ripped up a copy of Trump’s speech while standing behind him. Last year, when Trump gave an address before a joint session of Congress — usually done instead of a formal State of the Union address in inauguration years — Texas Rep. Al Green vocally jeered the president before being removed from the chamber; Green later received a formal censure from House Republicans. This year, the legislators who choose to attend the National Mall rally may not be the only ones protesting Trump’s speech. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., indicated that he intends to walk out during Trump’s speech.
“The only question for me is which of his disgusting lines prompts me to get up and leave, because at some point I will,” he told Axios.
The Trump administration is downplaying this year’s planned boycott, with White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson commenting, “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.”
Meanwhile, some Democrats plan to attend Trump’s speech while disapproving of his agenda. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on Tuesday that it was his “present intention” to attend the speech.
“We’re not going to his house. He’s coming to our house,” he said.
Referencing his upbringing in Brooklyn, Jeffries told reporters, “Having grown up where I grew up, you never let anyone run you off your block.”
With the Trump administration facing controversies ranging from public backlash against the president’s immigration crackdown to disapproval of tariffs to the continuing fallout over the Epstein files, the president will likely attempt to change the national conversation with his speech. But the lawmakers who plan to rally during his speech, as well as some of the Democrats who’ll be in attendance during Trump’s address, do not intend to let the president escape scrutiny for his record and his administration’s policies.