Democrats Will Try Not To Act Like Children During Trump’s State Of The Union Address

President Donald Trump will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, and according to reports, many seats will be empty.

Earlier this month, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave his caucus its marching orders in a closed-door meeting: sit in the chamber with “silent defiance” or don’t attend. 

“The two options that are in front of us in our House is to either attend with silent defiance or to not attend, and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion,” Jeffries told reporters last week.

The directive wasn’t given out of respect for President Trump or the event, but because last year’s joint address devolved into a spectacle that backfired on the Democrats. Many Democrats held up signs reading “Save Medicaid” and “False” as Trump spoke. Dozens of members from the Democratic Women’s Caucus wore pink. But most notably, Rep. Al Green of Texas stood up during the speech and began shouting, raising his cane toward the president, before Speaker Mike Johnson ordered the sergeant-at-arms to remove him from the chamber. Green was later censured in a largely party-line vote, but many Democrats realized that the protests didn’t make them look good at all.

Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told Axios, “Last year didn’t really work as envisioned.” A senior House progressive, declining to go on the record, confirmed the broader sentiment that “there’s just a feeling that it wasn’t real effective last time.” Another House Democrat even said the behavior was “completely counterproductive and made us look like children. We should be grown-ups, because [Republicans] are not.” Jeffries reportedly chewed out some of the most vocal disruptors behind closed doors. 

Now, a growing coalition of members will skip the Capitol entirely and head to the “People’s State of the Union,” a counter-rally near the Lincoln Memorial organized by MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action, two left-leaning media and activist outfits. The event is designed as counter-programming, featuring former MSNBC anchors Joy Reid and Katie Phang as hosts alongside elected officials and Americans the organizers say have been directly affected by Trump’s policies.

The Senate contingent heading to the rally includes Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, and Tina Smith of Minnesota. On the House side, Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Veronica Escobar, Pramila Jayapal, John Larson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Delia Ramirez, Sara Jacobs, Emily Randall, and Bonnie Watson Coleman are all set to appear. Even Greg Casar, who blasted his party’s behavior last year, is participating.

Still, some Democrats are ignoring Jeffries entirely and appear to be planning some protest during the 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,” Rep. Jared Huffman of California said. 

Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan hinted at his intentions to protest during the speech, but refused to offer specifics: “I don’t have details to share, but this President is not above [the] law, his massive corruption, unconstitutional actions, his insults to our allies, and despicable acts at Epstein’s island must be protested.” 

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania previously warned his fellow Democrats not to disrupt Trump’s speech.

“I mean, there’s just no dignity if you have paddles, if you are yelling and saying those kinds of things,” Fetterman told Fox News last week. “I mean, you can agree or disagree on things, but if you’re going to show up, just do it with dignity because, you know, really need to respect the office.”

The Democratic Party heads into Tuesday night’s State of the Union address with no unified strategy, a fractured caucus, and a lingering hangover from the last time they tried to make a scene.