If you thought the Democrats were crazy inside President Donald Trump’s Tuesday State of the Union address, you should have seen what happened with the ones who decided to skip it.
Now, mind you, it was plenty crazy inside the House chambers during Trump’s speech — the longest State of the Union in history, which gave plenty of opportunity for shenanigans.
It got bad enough that Trump actually called it out:
Trump points at Democrats and says, “these people are crazy. I’m telling you. They’re crazy.” (Note that Pete Hegseth and the rest of the cabinet are standing and cheering.) pic.twitter.com/KKMtzO3idK
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2026
And those people were crazy. But, as The Wall Street Journal pointed out, that wasn’t even the nuttiest of the nuttiest.
At least roughly 50 Democratic members of the House and Senate plan to forgo the speech, which typically draws most members of the party out of power. Most of the Democrats protesting will appear instead at dueling counterprogramming events in Washington that will feature a range of Trump critics, including a former press secretary for the president and celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo.
Those efforts will serve as a test for Democrats to present a unified response ahead of the midterm elections, as the party tries to capitalize on growing voter frustrations with Trump’s immigration crackdown and handling of the economy.
Democrats widely thought lawmakers mishandled the response to Trump’s address to Congress last year, when Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas was removed from the chamber after heckling the president and other Democrats waved paddle-shaped protest signs that were seen as ineffective.
Well, Al Green got kicked out again, and they didn’t necessarily make a better show of themselves outside of the Capitol, either.
Take the “State of the Swamp” event (that was its actual name), which was hosted by Robert De Niro, Mark Ruffalo, and Jim Acosta. Attendees at the National Press Club in Washington included Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Reps. Eric Swalwell of California, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, and Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, among others, according to a USA Today report.
It also included, um, a radical leftist giraffe furry:
This is what Democrats are doing instead of attending President Trump’s State of the Union speech.
Democrats are literally hanging out with deranged Leftists dressed in giraffe costumes bragging about getting arrested by ICE. pic.twitter.com/hMIUHrmrHy
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2026
Also, people in frog costumes:
Let’s check in on the Dem counter event to Trump’s SOTU… pic.twitter.com/5rBoH38bPz
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 25, 2026
Totally normal. There were also unhinged conspiracy theories like this one from Rep. Goldman:
An absolutely unwell and deranged Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman boycotted President Trump’s State of the Union speech to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about how there will be no more elections.
Shameful. pic.twitter.com/UDtRbZ44wJ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2026
Meanwhile, over at the People’s State of the Union, you had former MSNBC anchor Joy Reid singing in some kind of duet:
Let’s check in on the Democrats counter protest to President Trump’s State of the Union pic.twitter.com/7slHUt9et9
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) February 25, 2026
There was also the fake tears and warbly voice of Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, lamenting the poor “trans kids across this country” who won’t be able to mutilate themselves by getting irreversible treatments they can’t consent to:
SICK!
Pramila Jayapal is boycotting President Trump’s State of the Union to fight for the gender mutilation of children. pic.twitter.com/wOUmtzFP9D
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2026
There was also a pro-Trump crasher, who called Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut a “scumbag.”
“Go Trump! Hey, Murphy, you’re a scumbag.”
A patriot just crashed the stage at Chris Murphy’s protest outside the State of the Union. 🤣pic.twitter.com/1kN3qYSqhR
— CJ Pearson (@Cjpearson) February 25, 2026
There was all kinds of weirdness, but one common thread: Not really a whole lot of people, aside from reporters or counter-protesters:
I got kicked out of Joy Reid’s Democrat protest event tonight after I called her a loser and pointed out the low crowd: pic.twitter.com/TxJM5kxeSC
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) February 25, 2026
Democrats’ State of the Union boycotts are going well:
“There are probably 75 people in this crowd, and I would say 35 of them are reporters.”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2026
Yes, that’s right: It seems more people wanted to stick around to sit in their seat and watch Al Green crash out (again) than to show up at these events, which was described by the Journal as the “Democrats’ latest anti-Trump tactic.”
Looks like that tactic got foiled. Again.
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