Democrats to skip Trump's address to Congress

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Some Democrats both chambers in the US Congress announced they will skip President Donald Trump's first address to Congress on Tuesday night.

"Instead of attending Trump's SOTU (State of the Union), I'm speaking with constituents of mine like Scott, a disabled veteran who worked at VA (Veterans Administration) helping to house homeless veterans. Elon (Musk) fired Scott. I'll be sharing his story along with many others," Sen. Patty Murray wrote on X.

Congressman Martin Heinrich from New Mexico said he is not going to the address Tuesday.

"I'll start attending when he starts following the law," Heinrich wrote.

New York lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she is skipping the address but will live post.

"I’m not going to the Joint Address. I will be live posting and chatting with you all here instead. Then going on IG Live after," she posted on Bluesky.

Jan Schakowsky said she would boycott the speech, calling it a "series of lies to the American People."

"I have heard from thousands of constituents who want me to resist. That is why I will not attend Donald Trump’s joint address tonight," the congresswoman from Illinois said in a statement.

Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado referred to Trump's "childish and shameful" actions in the Oval Office toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.

"His extreme actions, including his reckless disregard for the rule of law, are an insult to my constituents and the American people," DeGette said in a statement, adding she is not attending the address in person but will be watching "closely."

- 'I won't sit and watch him lie'

Becca Balint, for her part, said she would not attend the address.

"I watched him take an oath to uphold and protect the constitution, and all he did was spew lies, stoke division and fear and make no effort to unify our country. I won't sit and watch him lie to the American people again," the representative from Vermont wrote on X.

Rep. Kweisi Mfume from Maryland said he will not apply Trump’s address tonight.

"Donald Trump and Elon Musk are destroying the state of the union. I don’t need to be there to watch him claim otherwise," Mfume said on X.

Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who is from Virginia, is going to boycott the speech "in solidarity" with federal employees.

"We have never seen our laws, institutions, and the separation of powers so attacked from within. These are not normal times. The challenges my constituents face demand more than sitting in a chamber I revere, listening as if the person addressing our country is not unleashing chaos and cruelty on their lives. I cannot give audience to that," Connolly said in a statement.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter Monday to House Democrats, asking them to have a "strong, determined and dignified" presence at Trump’s speech.

"The decision to attend the Joint Session is a personal one and we understand that members will come to different conclusions,” Jeffries wrote, noting he is going to attend.

Democrats last week tapped Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin to deliver the official response.

Trump will deliver a high-stakes address, focusing on the economy, the war in Ukraine and border security, among other issues, according to the White House.

The speech, set for 9 p.m. Eastern Time (0200GMT Wednesday), marks Trump’s first joint address since the beginning of his second term.