A contingent of liberal Democratic lawmakers will not be present inside the chamber for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, choosing instead to participate in an outdoor demonstration that organizers say will highlight their objections to the administration’s agenda.
Organizers described the event as a "People’s State of the Union," set for the National Mall near the Capitol and timed to begin at 8:30 p.m. (0130 GMT on Wednesday) - roughly half an hour before the president’s scheduled 9 p.m. address to Congress. The participating group includes about a dozen Democrats from both the Senate and the House, according to organizers.
Senators listed among those expected to appear at the rally are Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Representatives slated to take part include Becca Balint of Vermont, Greg Casar of Texas, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington state. Organizing groups named in statements include MeidasTouch, which identifies itself as a pro-democracy, independent news network, and the liberal group MoveOn Civic Action. Organizers also said constituents affected by Trump administration policies will have speaking roles at the event.
The boycott signals a coordinated effort by a subset of Democrats to use the State of the Union moment as a platform for public protest. Organizers framed the outside rally as a deliberate alternative to attending the address in the House chamber, positioning the demonstration as a way to confront the president’s policy priorities from the public space outside Congress.
"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," Senator Chris Murphy said in a statement.
Where this fits in the broader partisan climate
Lawmakers who are not joining the outdoor protest are nevertheless expected to express dissent in other ways. The evolving pattern of behavior around the annual address highlights a shift from a once-formal institution into a more openly partisan event. Recent years have seen interruptions, coordinated attire, and public demonstrations during the speech, and the current boycott adds a new, collective element to that trend.
Some House progressives have indicated they will attend the speech, or portions of it, while staging other forms of protest. Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, for example, has invited Doug Rebout, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Association, to attend the State of the Union. Pocan’s office said U.S. soybean producers are concerned that tariffs imposed under the Trump administration on foreign goods have hurt American farmers. The statement noted that Chinese retaliation has at times disrupted soybean trade and that those trade tensions have contributed to higher prices for many consumer goods, according to Pocan spokesman Matt Handverger.
Examples of past disruptions
The boycott comes against a backdrop of increasingly visible demonstrations during the address. Last year, Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, rose and shouted in protest of Republican plans to cut Medicaid; he was subsequently removed from the chamber by security and later reprimanded by the Republican-controlled House. The 2020 State of the Union also featured notable confrontation when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to shake the president’s hand and later tore up a copy of the speech transcript once it concluded; she said at the time that each page contained a "lie."
Organizers and participants in the planned rally say they intend to use the public forum to underscore opposition to the administration’s recent policy moves and to center the voices of people directly affected by those policies.
Context about the event's tradition
The State of the Union is designed to inform Congress of pressing national issues and has a long history as a presidential report to legislators. The address dates to the first presidential communication to Congress, delivered by President George Washington in 1790 as a concise 1,089-word report - a historical detail organizers and participants in both the chamber and the public demonstration may see as relevant to debates over how the event is conducted today.
There was no immediate response from the White House to a request for comment about the planned boycott or the "People’s State of the Union" rally.
Summary
About a dozen liberal Democrats are expected to skip President Trump’s State of the Union address in favor of a public rally on the National Mall. The "People’s State of the Union" is intended to showcase opposition to the administration and will feature lawmakers and constituents; it begins at 8:30 p.m., ahead of the president’s 9 p.m. speech. Organizers include MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action, and participants cite concerns over the tone and content of the president’s use of the address.