WASHINGTON – In yet another sign of fading bipartisanship, prominent Democrats are planning a big boycott of President Donald Trump's first official State of the Union address of his second term.
Refusing to "legitimize" the Feb. 24 speech, 12 lawmakers said they would skip it and instead hold a rally on the National Mall that they're calling the "People's State of the Union." The list of Democrats includes five senators and seven members of the House of Representatives. MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action, the progressive organizations putting the event together, said Feb. 18 more guests will be announced.
The size of the counterprogramming marks a departure from Democrats' typical responses to such occasions. Though they've protested President Trump in high-profile ways during his past addresses to Congress – former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once ripped up a copy of his speech – most lawmakers on both sides of the aisle typically attend States of the Union.
The other party then gives a rebuttal that TV networks air just after the presidential address. Regardless of lawmakers' issues with the occupant of the Oval Office, sitting through the speech is a longstanding, bipartisan tradition.
