Sign Up Account Profile Log Out

Newsletters Morning Report 12:30 Report Evening Report Business Defense Health Care Technology Newsletter Energy & Environment Whole Hog Politics The Gavel The Movement

Technology Newsletter

NEWS Senate House Administration Courts Future America Media Campaign News Education In The Know Latino LGBTQ DC News Race & Politics State Watch Print Edition People in the News

POLICY Defense Health Care Energy & Environment Technology Transportation International Cybersecurity National Security Space Sustainability

BUSINESS Budget Taxes Personal Finance Lobbying

OPINION Columnists Congress Blog All Contributors Opinions – Campaign Opinions – Civil Rights Opinions – Criminal Justice Opinions – Cybersecurity Opinions – Education Opinions – Energy and Environment Opinions – Finance Opinions – Healthcare Opinions – Immigration Opinions – International Opinions – Judiciary Opinions – National Security Opinions – Technology Opinions – White House Submit Opinion Content

All Contributors Opinions – Campaign Opinions – Civil Rights Opinions – Criminal Justice Opinions – Cybersecurity Opinions – Education Opinions – Energy and Environment Opinions – Finance Opinions – Healthcare Opinions – Immigration Opinions – International Opinions – Judiciary Opinions – National Security Opinions – Technology Opinions – White House

Opinions – Civil Rights

Opinions – Criminal Justice

Opinions – Cybersecurity

Opinions – Energy and Environment

Opinions – Healthcare

Opinions – Immigration

Opinions – International

Opinions – National Security

Opinions – Technology

Opinions – White House

Submit Opinion Content

EVENTS Upcoming Events About

Sign Up Account Profile Log Out

Trump State of the Union

State of the Union Takeaways

SOTU stand-out moments

Content from Google Cloud

Live updates: Surgeon general pick Casey Means faces senators; Trump, GOP celebrate wins Health Care | 2 minutes ago

Colbert on ‘silent defiance’ of Jeffries at State of the Union: ‘Bold rebrand of doing jack squat’ In The Know | 7 minutes ago

Opinion Kennedy is funding dangerous science to validate his anti-vaccine agenda  Opinions - Healthcare | 14 minutes ago

Watch live: Q&A with The Hill’s Editors – State of the Union Analysis News | 14 minutes ago

Warner Bros. Discovery says Paramount raised its takeover offer Media | 20 minutes ago

Pelosi: Trump State of the Union ‘was lazy’ House | 24 minutes ago

Just 1 in 3 State of the Union watchers confident Trump will lower costs: Flash poll Administration | 35 minutes ago

RFK Jr. knocks Democrats who didn’t stand during Trump speech: ‘We haven’t gotten much cooperation’ Health Care | 41 minutes ago

Colbert on ‘silent defiance’ of Jeffries at State of the Union: ‘Bold rebrand of doing jack squat’

Stephen Colbert is knocking House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-N.Y) quiet approach to countering President Trump during his State of the Union address.

In a live episode of CBS’s “The Late Show” that aired following Trump’s Tuesday speech to Congress, Colbert said that Jeffries “urged his members in the chamber to not make a scene.”

It was an approach, Colbert continued, quoting news stories, that the lawmaker “dubbed ‘silent defiance.'”

“Which I believe is a bold rebrand of doing jack squat,” Colbert cracked. 

“As Martin Luther King once said: ‘Shhh,'” the late-night TV host said to laughs.

Ahead of the State of the Union, Jeffries said he had advised his caucus, “The two options that are in front of us in our House [are] to either attend with silent defiance or to not attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion, which will include participation in a variety of different alternate programming that is going to take place in and around the Capitol complex.”

But multiple Democrats made their presence known during Trump’s Tuesday night address. Rep. Al Green (Texas) was escorted out after holding up a sign as Trump entered that read, “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES,” a reference to since-deleted clip the president had posted depicting the Obamas as apes, and Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) repeatedly heckled Trump as he made derogatory remarks about Somali immigrants in her state.

At Trump’s congressional address last year — the first of his second term — several Democrats also made headlines with their disruptive protests.

“I think this president’s unhinged tirades, I think this president’s unpopular policies should be the story, not sort of gestures from our side,” Rep. Sarah McBride told NOTUS in a recent interview.

“I don’t think that what we saw in Congress last year was particularly helpful,” the Delaware Democrat said. 

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More In The Know News

Durbin whistleblowers accuse Patel of jet usage, decision-making that hindered ...

Gorsuch takes aim at fellow Supreme Court justices in tariff decision

Five takeaways from President Trump’s State of the Union address

Platner holds double-digit lead on Mills, Collins in Maine Senate race: Poll

Wall Street Journal: ‘Smart play’ would have been for Trump to forgo, pause ...

Cornyn: Democrat winning Senate race in Texas would be ‘first crack in the ...

End, don’t mend, the prime-time State of the Union address 

Pennsylvania Democrats win state House special elections, keeping majority ...

5 stand-out moments from Trump’s State of the Union address

Hegseth says he’ll order random pizzas to throw off monitoring app

Trump’s delusional State of the Union address 

Pam Bondi thought grand jurors were stupid. They showed her a thing or two.

Senate Democrats emerge from secret Iran briefing warning of ...

Bessent on new Trump retirement plan: ‘We can do it through reconciliation’

Trump tests MAHA support with glyphosate move

Live updates: Trump delivers record-setting State of the Union speech

White House plays hardball with Democrats over DHS shutdown

FCC got more complaints about Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension than about his ...

The Hill Podcasts – Morning Report

2024 Election Results

2024 Election Forecast

Regulation - Administration

Energy & Environment Video Clips

Health Care Video Clips

Technology Video Clips

Transportation Video Clips

International Video Clips

Cybersecurity Video Clips

National Security Video Clips

Contributors to The Hill

Submit Opinion Content

PRIVACY POLICY 09/30/2025

Advertise with Nexstar

Journalistic Integrity

THE HILL 400 N CAPITOL STREET NW, SUITE 650 WASHINGTON DC 20002

© 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Sign in to create a free account. No password needed.

By clicking on any of the sign up options below, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use, which includes a jury trial waiver and class action waiver, and that you have read our Privacy Policy detailing our collection, use and sharing of your personal information.

By clicking on any of the sign up options below, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use, which includes a jury trial waiver and class action waiver, and that you have read our Privacy Policy detailing our collection, use and sharing of your personal information.

The Hill is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.

Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.

The Hill is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Check your email inbox

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Thanks for registering!

Provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Are you sure you want to log out?

© The Hill