What AOC and other Democrats will do during Trump’s big dumb speech
At least 11 senators and House members are skipping Tuesday night’s joint session of Congress, where Donald Trump will deliver his first speech to both chambers since starting his second term as president. Instead of listening to Trump’s grim vision for America, the lawmakers are opting to spend time with voters or provide a response to the speech while away from Capitol Hill.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington announced in a press release on Monday that she will be meeting with constituents negatively impacted by the Trump administration.
“I will not be attending President Trump’s address to Congress,” said Murray. “The state of the union is that the President is spitting in the face of the law and he is letting an unelected billionaire fire cancer researchers and wreck federal agencies like the Social Security Administration at will.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also shared on Tuesday that she won’t be there to watch Trump’s speech either.
“I’m not going to the Joint Address,” she said in a Bluesky post. “I will be live posting and chatting with you all here instead. Then going on IG Live after.”
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut announced he’s boycotting the event to provide real-time analysis with progressive activist group MoveOn. He’ll be joined by fellow senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, and Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
“[W]e won’t waste a second in responding to Trump’s stream of lies at the State of the Union. I’m not attending in person. Instead I’m partnering w @moveon.org to provide live real time response. Join us to learn the truth about the billionaire seizure of our government,” Murphy posted on Bluesky.
Democrats have railed against Trump and his administration since he kicked off his second term by swiftly and recklessly gutting federal agencies, watchdogs, and employees; allowing billionaire Elon Musk’s unvetted underlings to access Americans’ sensitive data; and issuing sweeping executive orders at breakneck speed, even though they often appeared unconstitutional.
Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont announced on Tuesday she’ll join MoveOn and skip the speech as well.
“I attended the inauguration because I believe in the peaceful transfer of power, but Trump spewed lies, stoked division and fear and made no effort to unify our country,” said Balint in a press release. “There is no doubt tonight’s presidential address will be more of the same.”
Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia told his Bluesky followers he would not be in attendance in a video announcement on Tuesday.
“When he looks at Congress Trump only sees supplicants or enemies who write the laws he refuses to follow,” Beyer said. “In his speech he will preen and gloat about his return to power and his abuses of that power … I’m spending this week rallying with my constituents.”
First-term Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is tapped to give the Democratic rebuttal after Trump’s speech. In his announcement on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that as “nothing short of a rising star in our party, Elissa has proven she can get things done.”
The White House kicked off its smear campaign against her in a press release on Tuesday, calling Slotkin “just another out-of-touch politician that wants to hollow out American manufacturing and let criminals flood into our communities.”
The Working Families Party chose Rep. Lateefah Simon of California to deliver a progressive rebuttal to Trump’s speech.
“Working people are looking for leaders who will fight for them, and Rep. Lateefah Simon was born to lead in this moment,” said Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party. “As a working mom who has struggled with the crushing weight of medical debt, Rep. Simon understands what Trump’s attacks on Medicare and Medicaid will mean to millions of families in our country.”
Other Democrats who are skipping the speech include Reps. Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Kweise Mfume of Maryland. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico is also bowing out of Trump’s big moment, and said, “I’ll start attending when he starts following the law.”
Meanwhile, some Democrats who are attending have invited fired federal employees as their guests. They are among the thousands of government workers who have lost their jobs thanks to reckless cuts by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, led by co-President Musk.
This Democratic boycott highlights deep divisions in Washington as Trump readies to outline his plans for the country. With competing rebuttals from Democratic Party leaders, the response to his speech is likely to be as telling as the address itself.
Campaign Action
