Democratic Congress Members Skip Trump’s State of the Union Address

On February 24, 2026, numerous Democrats in Congress opted out of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Reports suggest that at least 45 members were initially planning to boycott, citing reasons like a refusal to “normalize” the administration’s policies and a desire to steer clear of what they termed “misinformation.”

The boycott seems to have gained traction recently, with several key issues bringing the Democratic caucus together. A tweet indicated that 70 Democrats and one Independent were officially absent from the event as numbers continued to grow rapidly.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York provided members the choice to attend in “silent defiance” or to skip the event entirely, leading many to choose the latter. Still, Democrats are expected to give a formal response led by Gov. Abigail Spanberger from Virginia and Senator Alex Padilla from California, despite numerous absences.

Democratic Representative Katherine Clark from Massachusetts explained her absence, stating she prefers to hear from constituents about their struggles with rising costs and issues around health care, instead of listening to misleading statements from the President. She criticized Trump for broken promises regarding affordability and health care access, highlighting the harm done to workers and communities.

While Republicans looked forward to Trump’s remarks about “historic victories” and border security, Clark’s decision notably reflects the deepening partisan divide. Trump has suggested that his address will be comprehensive, and there was even a lighthearted comment from Representative Austin Scott about hoping the speech wouldn’t go too long.

As the President prepares to speak, the list of absent Democrats continues to expand, many of whom have gathered on the National Mall for their own “State of the Union” rally to offer rebuttals to the administration.

Scheduled speakers at the rally include:

• Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)
• Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)
• Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)
• Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut)
• Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA)
• Senator Tina Smith (D-Minnesota)
• Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland)
• Rep. Yasamin Ansari (AZ-03)
• Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-Vermont)
• Representative Greg Cassar (TX-35)
• Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7)
• Rep. Maxwell Frost (FL-10)
• Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42)
• Representative Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07)
• Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04)
• Rep. Sarah Jacobs (CA-51)
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)
• Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01)
• Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12)
• Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03)
• Congressman Sidney Kamlager Dove (CA-37)
• Rep. April McClain Delaney (MD-6)
• Representative Christian Menefe (TX-18)
• Representative Shelly Pingree (ME-01)
• Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-7)
• Congresswoman Emily Randall (WA-6)
• Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05)
• Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)
• Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03)
• Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana expressed his views, criticizing the boycott as an abomination, asserting that Trump’s speech would demonstrate the Republican Party’s commitment to restoring common sense to the system.