On March 4th, 2025, President Trump delivered the first address of his second term to a joint session of Congress, historically known as the State of the Union. In his remarks, Trump highlighted some of what he sees as his “major achievements” in the first weeks of his term. These include mass deportation of immigrants, firing thousands of federal employees, cutting programs like USAID, banning transgender athletes from women’s sports, and abandoning support for Ukraine amidst the ongoing war. The first State of the Union of this new Trump administration was an interesting moment for the Democratic party, which has been struggling to unite during the first few weeks of Trump’s term and stand up against his policies. Some Democrats attended the State of the Union and engaged in small acts of defiance. Others chose to skip the event altogether. The State of the Union has always been a theatrical event on Capitol Hill, with politicians standing up and cheering seemingly every two seconds, and others sitting silent and stony-faced, trying to make a statement. However, this year’s address was especially unique not only because of Trump’s extreme and hateful policies but also because of increased division in Congress. So, why did some Democrats choose to attend the address? Why did some choose to skip? And what, if there was such a thing, was the right call?
Some Democratic members of Congress chose to attend the State of the Union in an orderly fashion. According to the Hill, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries advised Democratic Congress members to attend the address. While acknowledging that the choice to attend would be a personal one for all Democratic members, The Hill reported that Jefferies wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter that “it is important to have a strong, determined, and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber… The House as an institution belongs to the American people, and as their representatives we will not be run off the block or bullied.”
Many Democratic members of Congress chose to engage in silent forms of protest. Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan brought a whiteboard into the chamber, writing messages whenever Trump was lying. Another large group of Representatives wore pink for women’s rights, and brought props into the chamber, holding up small paddles with messages such as “He lies,” “Musk Steals,” “Protect Veterans” and “Save Medicaid.” However, these messages were not shown much on screen, as the camera was focused on the President. Another group of Democrats walked out of the chamber together, revealing black shirts with messages reading “No Kings live Here” and “Resist.” Al Green, a Democratic Congressman from Texas, was removed from the chamber after standing up and calling out that Trump has no mandate to cut Medicaid, even though he claims to. Republicans cheered as he was removed from the chamber by the Sergeant at Arms, while his fellow Democrats remained silent. According to ABC News, this is the first time a lawmaker has been thrown out of the joint address, even though Rep. Majorie Taylor Green loudly heckled President Joe Biden just last year. At the time of writing, it is not yet known if Congressman Green will face any further consequences.
Other members of Congress chose to engage in alternative political events instead of the annual address. According to ABC News, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York stated that she would not attend the State of the Union and would instead post live updates and appear on instagram live after the address. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut attended an event with the progressive advocacy organization MoveOn. Senator Murphy stated, “I think that State of the Union speech is going to be a farce. I think it’s gonna be a MAGA pep rally.” Senators Ron Wyden, Patty Murray, and Martin Heinrich also skipped, sharing similar sentiments that they would not attend the speech because of Trump’s blatant disregard for the law.
The Democrats that did attend the address were subject to outright mockery from the President and the Republican party. The night started off with the top Democratic member of the new DOGE committee, Representative Melanie Stansbury, holding a sign behind the President reading “This is not normal”. As Trump made his way down the aisle, Republican Representative Lance Gooden of Texas reached across the aisle, took the sign, and threw it away from her, all on live television. This disturbing trend continued throughout the speech as Trump openly mocked the Democrats to the jeers and laughs of his cult-like followers, saying Democrats would never stand and clap for him no matter what he did. He made fun of Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was present in the chamber, referring to her as Pocahontas. The Hill reports that after a group of Democrats walked out in protest, Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina tweeted, “Jasmine Crockett and Maxwell Frost just left. I love when the trash takes itself out.”
So, the question remains, what was the right call for the Democratic party? While I can see the merit to both approaches, I think Democratic leadership would have made a stronger statement by skipping the address altogether. By sitting there in silence, they did nothing but look defeated and open themselves up for mockery. While I appreciate the attempt of protesting, holding up paddles and wearing a certain color isn’t actually doing anything particularly useful. Al Green, who did try to take a stand, stood up completely alone and was then removed to cheers, making the Democrats look even less united. They needed to take a completely unified approach in walking out together, or skipping the event together. By dividing into all these little groups with some holding up signs, some walking out, and some skipping, they came off as a fractioned party scrambling for an approach to combat Trump.
The State of the Union was essentially a party for Trump and all his followers to celebrate their so-called accomplishments. If someone was bullying you and all your friends and family, would you show up to their birthday party? I know I wouldn’t, and that’s essentially what Democrats did. Rather than sit in silence and listen to Trump spew lies and hate, I think it would have been more impactful to take the approach of those Democratic leaders who skipped the event and chose to engage with advocacy groups or their constituents instead. It would have made a much stronger statement for Democrats to simply not show up, and send the message that President Trump is not worthy of their time whatsoever. By even just sitting in those seats, they gave him more credibility than he will ever deserve.