Democrats Hope to Avoid Wild Antics During President Trump’s SOTU After ‘Embarrassing’ Behavior at 2025 Speech
Democratic lawmakers plan to challenge President Trump’s State of the Union (SOTU) address on Tuesday, but want to avoid making a scene like they did in 2025 during his joint address to Congress.
Democrats drew widespread criticism for their behavior during his 2025 speech, Hill reported Monday. At the time, many of them “held signs accusing Trump of lying, others walked out mid-speech, and Rep. Al Green (Texas Democrat) made waves by standing up and heckling the president with a cane pointed at the dais – an extraordinary scene that led to Green’s expulsion from the room.
Trump criticized Democrats and the liberal media for their antics, saying he thought it was “very embarrassing for Democrats,” according to Breitbart News.
Now, Democratic leaders hope to avoid attracting that kind of negative attention during SOTU.
“While the leader of the parliamentary minority Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is urging members of his caucus to challenge the president in Tuesday’s speech, he is also warning them to do so quietly,” the Hill report said, adding that some Democrats said they would attend alternative events such as the “State of the People” event on the National Mall and the “State of the Swamp” event at the National Press Club.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said he would not attend Trump’s speech, according to Fox News.
“I’ve never missed one. I’ve always gone to inaugurations and States of the Union. But we can’t take this as normal. This isn’t business as usual. I won’t give him the audience he craves for the lies he tells,” he said.
Despite the Democrats’ vitriol, Republican strategist Mark Bednar recently said Trump’s speech would be an opportunity for American citizens to “celebrate” all that is “good and right” in the nation, Breitbart News reported Sunday.
“First of all, it’s just the electricity in the room is incredible. You have the President, you have the Cabinet, you have members of Congress and special guests. They really all tie the room together. And it’s just an opportunity where, actually, Americans can come and celebrate, not just the policies, not just the victories, but actually, just coming together…and everything that is good and right in America. It’s just a very special night,” he explained.
One of the most accurate polls of 2024, Insider Advantage, placed Trump’s current approval rating at 50%, according to Breitbart News.
