Trump to deliver State of the Union as at least 12 Democrats boycott

President Donald Trump will deliver the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET, and at least a dozen Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott the address and instead attend a MoveOn Civic Action-organized "People's State of the Union" rally on the National Mall, organizers say. The organizers say the rally will begin about 30 minutes before the president's speech.

"The lawmakers planning to skip the speech and attend the rally, according to the organizers, include Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, as well as Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Becca Balint of Vermont, Greg Casar of Texas, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey," organizers said.

MoveOn's chief of program, Sara Haghdoosti, framed the mobilization as a corrective to what she called the president's expected rhetoric. "We know that he is going to use the State of the Union to mislead the American people and lie," she said. "We want to make sure we’re focusing on the impact his horrendous policies have had. We want to shift the focus from Trump’s lies to the stories of people."

The coordinated absence underscores a split within House Democrats about how to respond to the speech. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he has a "present intention to be at the State of the Union" but has urged rank-and-file members to avoid creating a spectacle, declaring, "We’re not going to his house. He’s coming to our house, and it’s the people’s house." Several other Democrats have chosen protest over presence; Rep. Sean Casten said, "My respect for the office of the President of the United States cannot abide the disrespect that Donald Trump shows to that office every day," adding that he will "watch the State of the Union elsewhere."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced on X that he will not attend, writing, "Next week, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address. I won’t be there," and adding, "Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy. This cannot be business as usual."

Organizers of other counterprogramming are lining up a roster of Democrats and public figures to press a competing narrative on costs, climate and civil rights. A separate event being promoted as "State of the Swamp" lists additional lawmakers and former officials who will speak alongside media and cultural figures.

The content of the president's address is expected to emphasize tariffs, energy and national celebration ahead of the 250th anniversary of independence, with CNN-News18 predicting topics that include a push for a 15 percent global tariff strategy, energy policy wins, and foreign policy posture on Iran, all positioned to help Republicans ahead of the November midterms. The Democratic response will be delivered by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, and SiriusXM is listing live simulcasts of the address and response across multiple channels.

The tactical split highlights a broader political calculation: Democrats who boycott intend to use the public square to center constituent stories about affordability, health and community impacts, while leaders who remain worry that an absence could cede institutional ground and attention. The showdown on the National Mall will test which approach better translates protest into voter engagement and whether counterprogramming can reshape coverage of policies that directly affect people's lives.