Trump’s State of the Union draws Democratic protests : NPR
U.S. Rep. Al Green, Democrat of Texas, walks out as he holds a sign reading “Black people are not monkeys” during President Trump’s State of the Union address on the House floor of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, February 24, 2026.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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Democrats pushed back on President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, with some lawmakers boycotting the speech, participating in counterprogramming or staging a small number of protests inside the House.
Before the speech, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., urged Democrats to “attend with silent defiance” or choose not to attend. However, Trump repeatedly clashed with seated Democrats, with some interrupting him or refusing to applaud during his speech.
The decline comes as Democrats enter a midterm year where they hope political headwinds can help them make gains in the House and Senate. In the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, 57 percent of respondents said the state of the union was not strong, including 8 in 10 Democrats and about two-thirds of independents. Sixty percent said the country was worse off than a year ago, including about two-thirds of independents and nine-in-ten Democrats.
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers did not deliver Trump’s speech, with some addressing a few hundred protesters gathered on the National Mall for a counter-event dubbed the “People’s State of the Union.” A number of other people left the venue as Trump delivered his speech.
At the start of Tuesday’s speech, Rep. Al Green, Democrat of Texas, held up a sign reading: “Black people are not monkeys,” a reference to the racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, posted on Trump’s social media account earlier this month. Green was then escorted from the room.
Green was also expelled from the House last year for protesting Trump’s speech during a joint session of Congress.
Other protests took place as Trump touted his crackdown on immigration and criticized liberal cities designated as sanctuary jurisdictions. Democratic Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., could be seen holding up photos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two U.S. citizens killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis last month. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minn. Democrat, also shouted, “You killed Americans” as Trump discussed his immigration enforcement.
Rep. Norma Torres, Democrat of California, holds up a photo of Minnesota shooting victim Alex Pretti during U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC.
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Throughout his speech, President Trump criticized Democratic lawmakers for refusing to stand and applaud as he ran through his agenda, telling them, “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“These people are crazy. I tell you, they’re crazy,” Trump said a few minutes later, again noting that Democrats did not stand to applaud, prompting more screams from the crowd. “We are lucky to have a country with people like this. The Democrats are destroying our country,” he added.
Democrats also invited more than a dozen people who say they are victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the State of the Union ceremony, with guests and lawmakers wearing pins that read: “Stand with Survivors, Release the Records.” This comes as the administration continues to face pressure over its handling of information about Epstein and his network, including some from Republicans.
A woman wears a “Release The Files” pin during a press event with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, hosted by the Democratic Women’s Caucus ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington DC on February 24, 2026.
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