I’m sure these seats will fill up quickly!
Dozens of Democrats have announced they will not be attending President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
The Wall Street Journal reported that a total of 50 Democratic lawmakers will opt to skip one of the biggest political nights of the year.
Here’s the full report by the Wall Street Journal regarding the absence of the Democrats:
Dozens of congressional Democrats are preparing to skip President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, in an unusual rebuke of a sitting president.
At least roughly 50 Democratic members of the House and Senate plan to forgo the speech, which typically draws most members of the party out of power. Most of the
Democrats protesting will appear instead at dueling counterprogramming events in Washington that will feature a range of Trump critics, including a former press secretary for the president and celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo.
Those efforts will serve as a test for Democrats to present a unified response ahead of the midterm elections, as the party tries to capitalize on growing voter frustrations with Trump’s immigration crackdown and handling of the economy.
Democrats widely thought lawmakers mishandled the response to Trump’s address to Congress last year, when Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas was removed from the chamber after heckling the president and other Democrats waved paddle-shaped protest signs that were seen as ineffective.
Jen on X had something to say about the Dems’ move:
So about 50 petulant children, I mean Democrats, are going to skip the State of the Union tonight, literally taking their small balls & going home. This is where we are at in this country. How the hell do people continue to vote for that party?
— Jen (@SweetTexanRose) February 24, 2026
Democrat Senator John Fetterman is asking his party not to act like fools during the address, like some of them did last year.
The Hill reported more on Fetterman’s call to his colleagues:
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) warned his fellow Democrats on Thursday against disrupting President Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address.
ADVERTISEMENTThe legislator told Fox News’s Jesse Watters on Thursday that a “boycott” is fine, but “I just hope they don’t do the kinds of things that some did last year.”
The president is scheduled to deliver the annual remarks in front of Congress on Tuesday.
“I mean, there’s just no dignity if you have paddles, if you are yelling and saying those kinds of things,” Fetterman said. “I mean, you can agree or disagree on things, but if you’re going to show up, just do it with dignity because, you know, really need to respect the office.”
Democratic Rep. Al Green (Texas) heckled the president during his speech last year and was escorted out of the House chamber after he refused to heed Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) requests to “maintain decorum.”
Watch Fetterman here:
🚨Sen. John Fetterman just BEGGED his fellow Dems…
“Please don’t do the weird protests” during Trump’s State of the Union this month!
“It made us LOOK LIKE CHILDREN!”
“Have some DIGNITY!”
“Don’t put up those silly paddles and weird protests.”
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 14, 2026
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