When President Trump delivers his State of the Union next Tuesday, at least a dozen Democratic members of Congress won't be there to hear it, as has occurred in years past. NBC News reports the lawmakers plan to boycott the address and instead appear at a "People's State of the Union" rally on the National Mall, organized by progressive groups MoveOn and MeidasTouch.
The New York Times sees the event as an acknowledgement that Democrats "bungled their response" to Trump's SOTU address last year, which saw Rep. Al Green ejected from the chamber as other Democrats waved "hokey" slogan-emblazoned paddles reading things like "Musk Steals." In the Times' view, "it was all out of step with the sober, centrist counter to Mr. Trump that party leaders had wanted to project that night."
The rally, scheduled to start as Trump begins speaking, is billed by organizers as "counterprogramming" and will feature lawmakers alongside people they describe as directly affected by the former president's policies. The White House pushed back, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson accusing Democrats of refusing to "celebrate and honor the Americans who have benefitted" from Republican-backed policies such as tax cuts.
Sens. Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, Tina Smith, and Chris Van Hollen are among those skipping the speech, along with Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Greg Casar, Veronica Escobar, Pramila Jayapal, Delia Ramirez, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, organizers say. Politico reports the group includes lawmakers who also took a pass on Trump's first and second inaugurations, calling them "a small but consistent block of Democrats who continue to opt out of the president's most high-profile events."
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