With Boycott Growing, Dem Leader Seeks ‘Strong, Determined and Dignified Democratic Presence’ At Trump Speech
Members of House and Senate plan to skip presidential address
With many of his members bailing out of attending Donald Trump’s first address to Congress of his second term, the House Democratic leader wants a “strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence” at the event Tuesday evening.
Democrats in the House and Senate are announcing their intention to skip Trump’s speech, which comes amid an unprecedented level of chaos and disruption in the federal government since his inauguration.
Senators including Patty Murray, of Washington state, and Ron Wyden, of Oregon, have said they won’t be there.
And House members like Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, Becca Balint, of Vermont and firebrand Rep Jasmine Crockett, of Texas, plan to be no-shows as Trump is expected to defend everything from mass deportations of migrants, to billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts with “DOGE” to dismantle federal agencies and indiscriminately fire thousands of federal workers.
“I’m not going to the Joint Address. I will be live posting and chatting with you all here instead. Then going on [Instagram] Live after,” Ocasio-Cortez posted on her BlueSky account.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, addressed the matter of his fellow Democrats skipping the Trump event in a letter to his colleagues Monday, in which he called the decision a “personal one” and that he understands members will “come to different conclusions.”
“However, it is important to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber. The House as an institution belongs to the American people, and as their representatives we will not be run off the block or bullied,” he added.
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