It wasn’t that Democrats refused to adopt House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ call for “silent defiance” during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. Most Democrats did.
But a small number of loud outbursts overshadowed the stoicism that the vast majority of Democrats adopted Tuesday night, giving Republicans the ammunition they were desperate for to label Democrats — as Trump called them during his speech — “crazy.”
The most striking moment of Democratic resistance came almost immediately.
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, held up a sign that said, “Black People Aren’t Apes!” — a seeming reference to the social media video Trump posted a few weeks ago that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
While several Republicans eventually spoke out in opposition to Trump’s post, Republicans on Tuesday did their best to silence Green’s criticism.
When Green first flashed the sign toward Trump as he walked to the podium, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., almost placed his hands over the unfurled placard, attempting to shield the president’s eyes from Green’s message. Minutes later, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., unsuccessfully tried to snatch the sign away, before he positioned himself and two other Republicans — Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. — in front of Green to block the message from the president.
Eventually, a sergeant-at-arms staff member unceremoniously escorted Green out of the chamber, but not before the Texas Democrat got into a spirited exchange with Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls. And when Green finally began noisily making his way to the exit, Republicans drowned out Green’s shouts with chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!”
It was a repeat — albeit slightly quieter — performance for Green, who was also removed from the chamber last year for shouting at the president during Trump’s joint address. (Green was later censured for his outburst.)
But Green wasn’t the only Democrat who tried to heckle the president Tuesday night.
Throughout the speech, a few Democrats repeatedly shouted at Trump. Chief among his loudest detractors were Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who sat next to each other and seemed to feed off each other’s opposition.
As Trump talked about Department of Homeland Security funding and immigration enforcement, Tlaib accused Trump of “killing Americans.” She added that Alex Pretti, who was shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis, “wasn’t a criminal.”
Omar also joined in as Trump talked about his immigration enforcement policies, at one point yelling, “You have killed Americans.”
Omar also repeatedly called Trump a “liar” when he made false claims about welfare fraud that he alleged was committed by Somalis in Minnesota.
The duo also heckled the president as he claimed to have ended several wars. And at one point, Tlaib repeatedly shouted about Jeffrey Epstein.
“How’s those Epstein files?” Tlaib yelled out. “Release ’em.”
After the speech, Republicans were predictably attacking Democrats for their outbursts.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told MS NOW that Democrats were “absolutely shameful.”
“No respect,” he said.
“We asked everybody to maintain decorum and they couldn’t do it, they couldn’t contain it for two hours,” Johnson said.
Still, those moments stood out because they were the exceptions.
Jeffries had urged his Democratic colleagues to keep the focus on Trump, rather than engaging in the resistance tactics that would distract from a president who’s becoming increasingly unpopular.
And overall, the Democratic side was almost sleepy. That dynamic kicked off early. As First Lady Melania Trump and the cabinet entered the chamber, many Democrats sat quietly, barely acknowledging their arrival. Some stood. Few, if any, clapped.
Democrats, of course, found a few moments to applaud. When Trump introduced the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team, for example, fresh off winning the gold medal at the Olympics, the entire chamber thundered.
At other times, Democrats clapped almost jeeringly — including when Trump noted that Democrats didn’t vote for his signature tax and spending package, which he signed into law last year.
As the speech dragged on, some Democrats scrolled their phones or iPads. Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware calmly jotted down notes with pen and paper.
More than a dozen seats sat empty on the Democratic side of the chamber. And even more notably, more than 40 seats on the floor were filled with people who were not members — wearing green pins to signify their one-off floor privileges.
It was a small visual reminder of the more than 50 Democrats who opted to skip the speech altogether, with some arguing they did not want to dignify Trump’s address with their presence.
At least a few Democrats left early, including Tlaib; Omar; Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill.; and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa. At one point toward the end of the speech, Tlaib and Omar, the loudest and most frequent hecklers of the night, departed the chamber.
At the end, Democrats quickly cleared the floor, more disappointed in Trump’s performance than their colleagues.
“I was hoping for a brief and unifying speech,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told MS NOW. “We got neither.”
And when Democrats were asked about the outbursts from some members, many suggested reporters shouldn’t lose sight of the president’s own disrespectful behavior.
“A lot of times with these speeches, we get pretty consumed with the behavior of individual members, and we lose the forest for the trees,” Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., told MS NOW. “This is a president and an administration that has quite literally facilitated the murder of American citizens in our streets, on video, which, frankly, only makes the president’s statement about protecting American citizens and or addressing undocumented immigrants such a fallacious and offensive statement.”
“I think that’s what we should keep our focus on,” she said.
Kevin Frey is a congressional reporter for MS NOW.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW.