As President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address, at least 30 Democratic members of the Senate and House held their own “People鈥檚 State of the Union” near the U.S. Capitol.
The event started more than an hour before the president spoke.
One after another, for more than two hours, more than two dozen Democrats 鈥� who skipped the State of the Union address a few blocks away 鈥� took to the stage on the West Side of the Capitol on a cold, windy night.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen was one of the first speakers.
鈥淣ow we know the State of the Union. We know that it is under attack from a lawless president,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are here because we know our country is being robbed by the most corrupt administration in American history.鈥�
Many of the speakers brought guests to tell their personal stories. Van Hollen introduced Jenna Norton, a career government researcher and National Institutes of Health whistleblower who was put on leave after exposing how DOGE-related cuts to health research actually wasted money instead of saving it.
鈥淭he Trump administration put research participants and the public health at risk when they abruptly terminated NIH studies,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hen you halt a study, a five-year study, a $5 million study, four years in, you don鈥檛 save $1 million, you waste $4 million.鈥�
In the crowd, many of the attendees held signs critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One sign read, 鈥淣o Money for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,鈥� and another read 鈥淗ealth care Not Warfare.鈥�
The event was co-sponsored by MoveOn.org and its Executive Director Katie Bethell said the event was organized because, 鈥淲e know that Donald Trump鈥檚 State of the Union will bear no resemblance to what鈥檚 actually happening in this country today.鈥�
Also speaking was Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who, as he was introduced to the crowd, began an abolish ICE chant.
Murphy said he decided to skip the State of the Union because, 鈥淭hese are not normal times and Democrats have to stop behaving normally.鈥�
As Murphy was speaking, a Trump supporter carrying a sign jumped over the barricades and got within a few feet of Murphy before security took him off the stage as the crowd booed.
Co-host Joy Reid, a former anchor at MSNBC, addressed the interruption: 鈥淎ttention all MAGA trolls: your bulls— is not welcome here. We are here to hear the truth and to hear from impacted people.鈥�
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