Confronting Trump Demands Diligence, Something Democrats Lacked.
The president's policies might reignite the resistance, yet House members are prioritizing their own interests.
TroibNews 
Congratulations to the attention-seeking House Democrats: you managed to overshadow Donald Trump during his address on Tuesday night.
However, the cost of this attention-grabbing tactic may have been high. By doing so, you risk undermining your own message in the struggle against Trump, making your party appear small and desperate, while simultaneously bolstering Trump’s image as the dominant figure he longs to be.
Having covered various political spectacles over the years, I found the scenes from this joint session to be unprecedented. Numerous lawmakers heckled and booed the president, some held up signs, and many others staged walkouts in protest. Notably, Rep. Al Green was escorted out after he interrupted Trump, refusing to sit down while shaking his cane in indignation.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had cautioned his fellow members to adopt a “solemn” response to Trump’s address, echoing advice given by former speakers Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi in previous years across different administrations. Making a ruckus not only shifts the narrative to the lawmakers themselves but also makes them easy targets. More significantly, it diverts attention from the issues that their party wishes to highlight—in this case, Trump’s embrace of his most controversial policies.
Trump, after all, provided ample material for Democrats to critique. He proudly discussed dismantling the federal workforce and disrupting U.S. foreign alliances. He even admitted that his tariffs, targeting some of America's closest allies, would negatively impact farmers, a significant segment of his support base.
Moreover, he mentioned that his much-touted Department of Government Efficiency “is headed by Elon Musk,” inadvertently weakening his administration’s arguments in ongoing lawsuits concerning the agency’s authority over government program cuts. While blaming former President Joe Biden for the “economic catastrophe and inflation nightmare” he claimed to inherit, Trump barely proposed solutions for reducing prices—a topic voters from both parties feel he hasn’t tackled sufficiently.
Unfortunately for Democrats, they could not keep their focus on these issues.
Green, known for his persistent attempts to impeach Trump, initiated the evening's disruptions by shouting, “You have no mandate!” while Trump discussed tax cuts. As Trump addressed waste reduction, Rep. Rashida Tlaib scribbled on a whiteboard, urging him to “start by paying your taxes.”
When Trump mentioned eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, Rep. Gil Cisneros interrupted with “What about the $400 million Tesla contract?” Others could be seen holding up signs declaring “FALSE” as Trump touted cuts he had made to what he described as wasteful government programs.
At one moment, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida and several Democrats removed their jackets, revealing messages such as “RESIST” and “NO MORE KINGS” on their shirts before walking out. Rep. Melanie Stansbury even capitalized on the moment, fundraising off a photo of herself holding a sign that read “This Is NOT Normal” as Trump passed by.
“Hi that’s me,” she posted on X, sharing the image and linking to a donation page. “We will not be silent. Join me in the fight.”
Once upon a time, such behavior would have been unthinkable, let alone accepted. Sixteen years ago, the uproar was centered on Rep. Joe Wilson shouting, “You lie!” at President Barack Obama. More recently, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert faced ridicule for heckling Biden, with the prevailing sentiment being that they played into his hands.
Last night, the number of disruptive members was staggering.
The White House reveled in the split-screen moment the Democrats provided them. Immediately after the speech, top Trump aides were delighted to point out how Democrats sat with stone-faced expressions—or worse—while the president:
- Awarded an honorary Secret Service badge to a young boy with brain cancer, whose joy was evident;
- Renamed a wildlife refuge after a young girl murdered by undocumented immigrants, with her emotional mother present;
- Informed a young man in the gallery about his acceptance into West Point, following in the footsteps of his fallen police officer father;
- Announced that a terrorist allegedly involved in the deaths of 13 U.S. troops during the Afghanistan withdrawal would be extradited to the U.S. for justice.
Was it all a Hollywood-style spectacle? Certainly. However, it also highlighted how potent the House rostrum can be for a president—and how powerless the opposition tends to feel in those moments. In fact, the attempts to push back often lead to greater backlash.
As one White House ally remarked to my colleague Dasha Burns during the speech, Trump’s address was “good,” but Democrats were “making it look even better by behaving like petulant children.” Speaker Mike Johnson commented on X: “The way the Democrats behaved was unserious and embarrassing. That contrast between our forward-looking vision and their temper tantrums was on display for all of America to see.”
What surprised me more was that Trump, typically inclined to engage in conflict, largely avoided engaging with the protesting Democrats. This restraint may be attributed to the influence of his tactically minded chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
One final note: Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who delivered the official Democratic response competently and without incident, was ultimately overshadowed by the antics of her former House colleagues.
Green, the Democrat who ignited the disruptions, stated it was all “worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up,” as he spoke to reporters after being removed from the chamber.
However, if Democrats believe that standing up and walking out is the most effective path back to power—rather than adopting a more strategic approach to opposing Trump—it may be a long four years and perhaps even longer.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
However, the cost of this attention-grabbing tactic may have been high. By doing so, you risk undermining your own message in the struggle against Trump, making your party appear small and desperate, while simultaneously bolstering Trump’s image as the dominant figure he longs to be.
Having covered various political spectacles over the years, I found the scenes from this joint session to be unprecedented. Numerous lawmakers heckled and booed the president, some held up signs, and many others staged walkouts in protest. Notably, Rep. Al Green was escorted out after he interrupted Trump, refusing to sit down while shaking his cane in indignation.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had cautioned his fellow members to adopt a “solemn” response to Trump’s address, echoing advice given by former speakers Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi in previous years across different administrations. Making a ruckus not only shifts the narrative to the lawmakers themselves but also makes them easy targets. More significantly, it diverts attention from the issues that their party wishes to highlight—in this case, Trump’s embrace of his most controversial policies.
Trump, after all, provided ample material for Democrats to critique. He proudly discussed dismantling the federal workforce and disrupting U.S. foreign alliances. He even admitted that his tariffs, targeting some of America's closest allies, would negatively impact farmers, a significant segment of his support base.
Moreover, he mentioned that his much-touted Department of Government Efficiency “is headed by Elon Musk,” inadvertently weakening his administration’s arguments in ongoing lawsuits concerning the agency’s authority over government program cuts. While blaming former President Joe Biden for the “economic catastrophe and inflation nightmare” he claimed to inherit, Trump barely proposed solutions for reducing prices—a topic voters from both parties feel he hasn’t tackled sufficiently.
Unfortunately for Democrats, they could not keep their focus on these issues.
Green, known for his persistent attempts to impeach Trump, initiated the evening's disruptions by shouting, “You have no mandate!” while Trump discussed tax cuts. As Trump addressed waste reduction, Rep. Rashida Tlaib scribbled on a whiteboard, urging him to “start by paying your taxes.”
When Trump mentioned eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, Rep. Gil Cisneros interrupted with “What about the $400 million Tesla contract?” Others could be seen holding up signs declaring “FALSE” as Trump touted cuts he had made to what he described as wasteful government programs.
At one moment, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida and several Democrats removed their jackets, revealing messages such as “RESIST” and “NO MORE KINGS” on their shirts before walking out. Rep. Melanie Stansbury even capitalized on the moment, fundraising off a photo of herself holding a sign that read “This Is NOT Normal” as Trump passed by.
“Hi that’s me,” she posted on X, sharing the image and linking to a donation page. “We will not be silent. Join me in the fight.”
Once upon a time, such behavior would have been unthinkable, let alone accepted. Sixteen years ago, the uproar was centered on Rep. Joe Wilson shouting, “You lie!” at President Barack Obama. More recently, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert faced ridicule for heckling Biden, with the prevailing sentiment being that they played into his hands.
Last night, the number of disruptive members was staggering.
The White House reveled in the split-screen moment the Democrats provided them. Immediately after the speech, top Trump aides were delighted to point out how Democrats sat with stone-faced expressions—or worse—while the president:
- Awarded an honorary Secret Service badge to a young boy with brain cancer, whose joy was evident;
- Renamed a wildlife refuge after a young girl murdered by undocumented immigrants, with her emotional mother present;
- Informed a young man in the gallery about his acceptance into West Point, following in the footsteps of his fallen police officer father;
- Announced that a terrorist allegedly involved in the deaths of 13 U.S. troops during the Afghanistan withdrawal would be extradited to the U.S. for justice.
Was it all a Hollywood-style spectacle? Certainly. However, it also highlighted how potent the House rostrum can be for a president—and how powerless the opposition tends to feel in those moments. In fact, the attempts to push back often lead to greater backlash.
As one White House ally remarked to my colleague Dasha Burns during the speech, Trump’s address was “good,” but Democrats were “making it look even better by behaving like petulant children.” Speaker Mike Johnson commented on X: “The way the Democrats behaved was unserious and embarrassing. That contrast between our forward-looking vision and their temper tantrums was on display for all of America to see.”
What surprised me more was that Trump, typically inclined to engage in conflict, largely avoided engaging with the protesting Democrats. This restraint may be attributed to the influence of his tactically minded chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
One final note: Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who delivered the official Democratic response competently and without incident, was ultimately overshadowed by the antics of her former House colleagues.
Green, the Democrat who ignited the disruptions, stated it was all “worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up,” as he spoke to reporters after being removed from the chamber.
However, if Democrats believe that standing up and walking out is the most effective path back to power—rather than adopting a more strategic approach to opposing Trump—it may be a long four years and perhaps even longer.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
