At least 12 Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott President Donald Trump‘s upcoming State of the Union address on Tuesday (February 24) and will instead attend a counterprogramming event dubbed the “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall.
The boycotting lawmakers include five senators: Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Seven House representatives are also participating: Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Becca Balint of Vermont, Greg Casar of Texas, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey.
“These aren’t normal times and showing up for this speech puts a veneer of legitimacy on the corruption and lawlessness that has defined his second term,” Senator Murphy said in a statement according to Politico.
The alternative rally, scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET near the U.S. Capitol, is being organized by progressive groups including MoveOn and MeidasTouch. Progressive commentators Joy Reid and Katie Phang are slated to host the event.
Representative Ansari, who walked out of Trump’s address to Congress last year, views the rally as a continuation of her earlier protest. “Americans deserve an honest account of the state of our union,” she said, adding that she plans to bring a guest who was targeted by the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The White House has dismissed the boycott. “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,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson.
This isn’t the first time Democrats have skipped Trump’s major addresses. Many lawmakers also boycotted both his first and second inaugurations, though the resistance has somewhat faded since his first term.
President Trump will deliver his address on Tuesday night amid a partial government shutdown, which has prompted concerns from some senior Republican lawmakers and White House officials about the optics of the event. However, Republicans also see the address as an opportunity to shift focus away from recent negative headlines—including fatal shootings by federal immigration agents in Minnesota and scrutiny over the release of the Epstein files—and instead highlight economic messaging ahead of the midterm elections.
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