Politicians Who Snubbed Donald Trump's State Of The Union Address

President Donald Trump's 2026 State of the Union address, on February 24, was eventful, but not for the reasons you might think. The worst-dressed attendees at the 2026 SOTU generated plenty of internet chatter, including First Lady Melania Trump's lazy SOTU 'fit, which proved she's back to her old ways of not caring at all. Then there was her son, Barron Trump, who made a surprise appearance at SOTU 2026 but had his face picked apart by netizens. Last, but not least, was the star of the show, who we have a sneaking suspicion was a little nervous about the crowd size, because several Democrats made it clear ahead of time that they would not be attending in protest of the current administration.

Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern posted a clip on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly before the event, confirming that he would be skipping it. "I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than listen to his [Trump's] manifesto of mistruths," the congressman stated. As he argued, "These are not normal times, this is not business as usual." Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth posted a similar message, proclaiming simply, "I'm not interested in hearing another campaign rally full of lies." According to Axios, about half of the Democrats in Congress ended up avoiding Trump's SOTU address. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries implored his colleagues to "either attend with silent defiance or not to attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion" ahead of the event, per Fox News (Jeffries did attend). Minority Whip Katherine Clark took this advice to heart and stayed away. Further, some Democrats who were initially in attendance walked out of the room shortly after Trump started his long-winded ramble, including Reps. Lauren Underwood and Madeleine Dean.

Texas Rep. Al Green took a big swing at Donald Trump's ego during his 2025 address to Congress. Green was escorted out of the venue after he refused to sit down and heckled the president, pointing his cane at him. The 2026 State of the Union address gave us serious déjà vu when Green once again made waves. This time, the congressman brought more than just his cane. As Trump basked in applause, Green walked around the room, showing Republicans a handwritten sign, which read, "Black people aren't apes," per CBS News, a clear response to the infamous AI-generated video the president posted earlier in February that depicted Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama as primates. 

Green was removed from the chamber, joining his many colleagues who forfeited attending altogether or showed up to the counter-events like the "People's State of the Union," which was held at the National Mall. Meanwhile, Trump found some time during his address to complain about the lack of applause from the Democrats present. He encouraged the audience to stand up and applaud if they agreed with the statement: "The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens," (via Facebook). 

While plenty of Republicans stood and cheered loudly, Democrats notably did not. Trump, grinning widely as he basked in the glow of their admiration, shook his head, sneering at his opponents, "You should be ashamed of yourselves for not standing up." Given the divisive leader's overblown ego, it's possible he was more peeved by the fact that only half the room was applauding rather than that the left simply didn't agree with his rhetoric.