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Democrats plan counterprogramming during Trump’s State of the Union 

Several House and Senate Democrats will skip President Trump’s State of the Union address next week to attend counterprogramming events near the U.S. Capitol highlighting the impact of the administration’s policies. 

Trump is scheduled to address Congress on Feb. 24, a speech that comes amid an uproar over his immigration policies, fueled in part by the deaths of two U.S. citizens shot by immigration authorities in Minnesota. That, in turn, spurred an ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

The Democratic lawmakers are facing growing pressure from their base to challenge the Trump administration on immigration and a host of other issues, and the State of the Union each year provides a high-profile moment to make a statement.

A counterrally, dubbed the “People’s State of the Union,” will be held at 8:30 p.m. on the National Mall, as first reported by The New York Times. The rally, which will feature “everyday Americans most impacted by Trump’s dangerous agenda,” is hosted by liberal group MoveOn Civic Action, progressive media company MeidasTouch and other coalition partners.

Speakers at the event include Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), as well as Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), according to a press release.

“Donald Trump has made a mockery of the State of the Union speech – taking a moment that is meant to bring the country together and turning it into a campaign rally to spew hatred and division. Democrats have no obligation to reward him with an audience as he lies and attacks people who disagree with him,” Murphy said in a statement. 

“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,” he added. 

Van Hollen wrote on social platform X: “Next week, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. I won’t be there. Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy. This cannot be business as usual.”

Other Democrats, including Reps. Eric Swalwell (Calif), Jason Crow (Colo.), Seth Moulton (Mass.), Dan Goldman (N.Y.), Eugene Vindman (Va.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), are planning to a different counter-event dubbed “State of the Swamp” at the National Press Club that same night. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) advised members in a closed-door meeting last week to either attend the State of the Union in “silent defiance” or skip the event altogether, according to news reports.

During Trump’s address to Congress last year in March, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) stood up during the speech to assert that the president had no mandate, raising his walking cane in Trump’s direction. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ended up ordering the sergeant-at-arms to “restore order” by removing Green from the chamber. The House later censured the Texas Democrat in a largely party-line vote.

Also, last year, several House Democrats walked out mid-speech or held up signs that read “Save Medicaid” and “False” as Trump spoke.

Other Democrats are also planning to skip this year’s speech.

Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) does not plan to attend the State of the Union, but will watch it from her office, her spokesperson, Dick Cooper, told The Hill. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) will also be skipping the event, her office said, though it is not clear whether she will attend a counter-event.

When asked last week whether she would attend the event, progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told reporters, “Probably not, no.” 

Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday that it’s his “present intention” to attend the State of the Union next week.

“We’re not going to his house. He’s coming to our house, and it’s the people’s house,” Jeffries said. “And having grown up where I grew up, you never let anyone run you off your block.”

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

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