Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Virginia's first woman governor and
vocal Trump critic, will deliver the official Democratic response. Spanberger was elected last November in an off-cycle election dominated by Democratic wins that was seen as a warning sign for Republicans in the upcoming midterms.
Who is delivering the progressive response? Rep. Summer Lee, who became the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress after winning a competitive race for a House seat in 2022, will deliver the progressive Working Families Party's response to Trump's speech.
"I'm going to say what too many politicians won't: the system is rigged, the obscenely wealthy are profiting from it, and working people deserve more than scraps," the progressive Democrat
said in a statement. Counterprogramming events are planned by Democrats boycotting Trump's speech A growing group of Democrats say they won't attend the speech. Instead, at least 12 Democratic lawmakers plan to attend the
"People's State of the Union" rally on the National Mall.
Progressive groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn.org will
host the event, featuring federal workers, immigrants and others affected by Trump's policies, according to a press release.
Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen
wrote on X that he won't attend Trump's speech.
"Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy," the congressman wrote. "This cannot be business as usual."
Another rebuttal,
dubbed "State of the Swamp," is being held at the National Press Club in the nation's capital. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is expected to participate in the event.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who skipped Trump's address to Congress last year, announced that she's
not attending the State of the Union, and is instead meeting with constituents harmed by the administration's policies.
"The state of the union is that the President is spitting in the face of the law," she
said in a statement. How other Democrats are registering their dissent House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries instructed Democratic lawmakers Wednesday to either attend the event with
"silent defiance" or skip it all together.
Texas Rep. Al Green was ejected from the chamber last year (
and later censured) for interrupting Trump. Others walked out during the speech,
wore symbolic colors, or held up signs that said "Lies," "False," among other messages in protest of the president's agenda.
Jeffries says he plans on attending the speech. His predecessor, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, famously
ripped up a printed copy of Trump's 2020 speech, the final State of the Union of his first term.
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