Politics
NEW: White House Brushes Off Democrat Plot To Disrupt Trump’s Speech
A number of House Democrats are planning ways they can disrupt President Trump’s address to Congress later tonight, some of which includes outright disruption, according to a report from Axios citing multiple House Democrats.
Senior House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), have advised lawmakers to bring guests as a form of protest. The most common idea has been to bring laid off federal workers as part of the party’s opposition to federal layoffs and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.
Other lawmakers — particularly those from the progressive win of the party — are reportedly plotting more disruptive measures in defiance of party leadership. This has led to “widespread disagreement” within the party, both inside and outside Congress. “The part that we all agree on is that this is not business as usual and we would like to find a way — productively — to express our outrage,” one House Democrat told Axios.
Some lawmakers have told colleagues that they plan to stand up and walk out when Trump mentions topics they disagree with, such as bans on sex change procedures for minors. “Criticism of transgender kids was brought up as a line in the sand that could trigger members to storm out,” Axios reported, citing one Democrat lawmaker.
A number of Democrats have told colleagues that they plan to bring noisemakers in order to disrupt the president. Others have floated the idea of bringing signs with anti-Trump and anti-Musk messages that could then be held up during the president’s address. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) previously held up a sign accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “war criminal” when he addressed lawmakers last year.
Additional props considered by Democrats include empty egg cartons to highlight the price of eggs, pocket constitutions to highlight left-wing claims that President Trump is violating the law, and hand-clappers.
In a closed-door meeting on the House floor Monday, lawmakers were discouraged from bringing any props to the address, two House Democrats told the outlet. These tactics have caused significant internal debate over their effectiveness or lack thereof. “There are definitely a lot of constituents that really want Democrats to disrupt and there are … constituents who feel like that just plays into his hands,” one House Democrat told the outlet.
The White House has brushed off threats of disruptions from Democrats. “I think, frankly, the Democrats should think about if they should stand up in applause for some of the things President Trump will be talking about. He’s bringing common sense back to this country,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. “Look at Democrats: yesterday, 45 Senate Dems voted against keeping men out of women’s sports. How can you be against that when 80% of the country is for it?”
Trump’s address is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
