Democrats ignore Jeffries’ plea to sit silent at State of the Union
During the State of the Union, House Democrats, guided by Hakeem Jeffries, largely ignored his plea too sit silently or skip the address, resulting in a chaotic scene as Donald Trump spoke for nearly two hours. Rep. Al Green was escorted out after displaying a sign that said “Black people aren’t apes,” a reference to a controversial Truth Social video, and several Democrats, including Lauren Underwood, Bill foster, and Madeline Dean, rose and left the chamber in protest.Trump pressed lawmakers to stand if they believed the government should put Americans ahead of illegal immigrants, but Democrats did not stand, prompting further taunts from the president. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar shouted accusations at Trump, with Omar calling him a liar and saying he had killed Americans, and Tlaib shouting that he had killed Alex. Ahead of the speech, Jeffries had urged protesters to skip or sit quietly to avoid giving Republicans political fodder, but those pleas were ignored; Democrats also showcased their opposition through pins and guests related to the Epstein controversy. After the address,Jeffries described the State of the Union as a “complete disaster,” arguing that Trump spread lies,propaganda,and hatred.
House Democrats ignore Hakeem Jeffries’ plea to sit silent at State of the Union
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) failed to keep his conference in check on Tuesday night during a raucous State of the Union speech that saw Donald Trump bait Democrats into repeated shouts and taunts.
In the lead-up to the address, Jeffries told his caucus to either sit in “silent defiance” or skip the speech altogether. On Tuesday, Trump had barely started talking when House Democrats began bucking Jeffries’ directive.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) began the event by getting himself ejected from the well of the chamber for displaying a sign reading, “Black people aren’t apes!” — a reference to Trump’s widely denounced Truth Social video depicting the Obamas as monkeys.
The incident was a repeat of last year, when Green was censured for a cane-waving confrontation with Trump. Like last year, Trump ignored Green, allowing the disruption to stand as its own spectacle.
Other Democrats were just as willing to give Trump political fodder as the address stretched across nearly two hours. Reps. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Bill Foster (D-IL), and Madeline Dean (D-PA) stood up and exited the chamber midway through Trump’s speech in protest.
Yet, Trump drew the sharpest taunts when he asked the entire chamber to stand if they thought the priority of the U.S. government was to put American citizens ahead of illegal aliens. When Democrats refused to stand, Trump quickly pounced on the moment.
“You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Trump said.
The comments elicited a fiery response from Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who accused the president of killing Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two U.S. citizens who were shot in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents earlier this year.
Omar repeatedly shouted “liar” and “you have killed Americans.”
Tlaib, meanwhile, shouted, “You killed Alex!”
Ahead of the speech, Jeffries had told his conference, publicly and privately, to skip it if they wanted to register their protest. Otherwise, he said, members should sit quietly to avoid distractions that Republicans could use as political fodder. Those pleas, however, fell on deaf ears.
Democrats did periodically applaud Trump’s speech, mostly for references to the military or when he introduced bipartisan guests. But Trump also took a combative tone, helping set the stage for confrontation.
Democrats, for their part, used their clothing and guests to needle the president, in particular over disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Members wore “Release the Files” pins or brought sexual abuse survivors to revive the Epstein controversy.
TRUMP MOCKS NANCY PELOSI IN CALL TO PASS STOCK TRADING BAN
Jeffries released a statement after Trump’s address, calling the State of the Union a “complete disaster.”
“For nearly two hours tonight, Donald Trump spewed lies, propaganda, and hatred,” Jeffries said.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
