Several Democratic members are planning to boycott President Donald Trump's upcoming joint congressional address, citing concerns about the nature of the speech and the administration's policies. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut will hold a live prebuttal of the speech, expressing his belief that the address will be a 'MAGA pep rally' filled with lies. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii will join Murphy in the prebuttal, which will be livestreamed during Trump's speech.
Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia also announced that he will be skipping the address, stating that he does not wish to participate in what he views as a display of support for policies he disagrees with. House Democrats have been encouraged to bring guests who have been adversely affected by Trump's policies, such as threats to Medicare and SNAP, as well as mass firings of veterans working in civil service.
Some Democratic members attending the speech plan to bring federal workers who have recently been laid off to protest the downsizing efforts of federal agencies. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan will deliver the Democrats' rebuttal address after Trump's speech, focusing on the administration's current actions and their impact on the country.
In 2020, eight Democratic lawmakers boycotted Trump's State of the Union address, including progressive members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Source reached out to the offices of Murphy, Schatz, and Beyer for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
