Democrats hold alternate events during Trump's State of Union address
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Democrats hold alternate events during Trump's State of Union address")
People hold signs as they attend the "People's State of the Union" at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Democratic lawmakers boycotted Donald Trump’s SOTU 2026, hosting counter-events like the “People’s State of the Union” and “State of the Swamp” in protest.
A significant number of democratic lawmakers did not attend Trump's first State of the Union Address in the second term. This is partly as a protest to his policies, partly because of his rhetoric. Democrat lawmakers instead held numerous alternate events across Capitol Hill, showing the growing unpopularity and discontent with Trump's agenda.
People's State of the Union
Hundreds of people, along with 30 democratic lawmakers featuring Senators Chris Murphy, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, and Chris Van Hollen, gathered at the National Mall in Washington for a counter-rally, "People's State of the Union". The rally was hosted by progressive groups like MoveOn and MeidasTouch. Attendees held signs that read “No Money for ICE” and “Healthcare Not Warfare”. People also carried posters of 30 people who had been killed in dealings with ICE since Trump took office in 2025. People erupted into chants like “The people united will never be defeated”, “Abolish ICE! Abolish ICE!”, and “Release All the Files”. Katie Bethell, executive director of the progressive group MoveOn, said that the attendees had organised the boycott because they knew there would be no coherence between the realities of the country and Trump's narrative.
The real State of the Union is “government that would rather protect powerful people in the Epstein files than the women and the girls who are sexually abused”, said representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania. Lee further announced that she will introduce articles for impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi because she didn't comply with a subpoena to release the full unredacted Epstein Files.
State of the Swamp
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Hundreds of people, including celebrities and politicans gathered at the National Press Club to organise “State of the Swamp”. The event was hosted by Defiance.org and other anti-Trump groups, and it was headlined by actors Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo. It also featured journalists Jim Acosta, Mehdi Hasan and Don Lemon. The events featured Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. They criticised the President's speeches, calling them incoherent ramblings. People wearing inflatable frog costumes listened to Trump's speech. “This is about our country imploding. It’s not like something outside, it’s something inside, and we can’t allow it, and it’s been brought to a head by a lunatic,” De Niro told the Guardian.
Official Democratic response
Democratic lawmaker Abigail Spanberger, the first female governor in Virginia's history, delivered the official democratic response. In her 12-minute speech from a symbolic location in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. She said President Trump failed to make life more affordable, keep US citizens safe at home and abroad. She also said that Trump, in his State of the Union Speech, did what everyone else does. "He lied, he scapegoated, and he distracted, and he offered no real solutions to our nation's pressing challenges, so many of which he is actively making worse." Other notable in-chamber protests were seen from Al Green, who held a placard reading “ Black people aren't apes” and Representative Melanie Stansbury, who displayed a sign saying “This is not normal”. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib heckled Trump during his speech, and some walked out during the speech, while Al Green was thrown out. Other Representatives were seen holding up black signs with white letters saying: "Save Medicaid," "Musk Steals," and "Protect Veterans," with "False" written on the back.
