Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) will not attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, joining a growing list of congressional Democrats skipping the annual speech.
In a video posted to X explaining his decision, Schiff vowed not to give Trump the “audience he craves for the lies that he tells.”
“Donald Trump is violating the law and Constitution. He is ignoring court orders. He has weaponized the Justice Department to go after his enemies. He is letting loose ICE troops in our streets that are getting people killed. I will not be attending the State of the Union,” he said. “I’ve never missed one. I have always gone, both to inaugurations and to States of the Union. But we cannot treat this as normal. This is not business as usual.”
Schiff will instead join some of his colleagues at a counter rally on the National Mall, dubbed the “People’s State of the Union,” to protest Trump’s second term. The event is being hosted by MoveOn and left-wing media outlet MeidasTouch.
Schiff is now the latest Senate Democrat skipping Trump’s speech slated for Tuesday night. So far, at least seven of his colleagues have also announced plans to ditch the address.
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Those include Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Patty Murray (D-WA).
In the lower chamber, meanwhile, House Democrats have been urged by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to either sit in “silent defiance” or not attend at all. At least 20 House Democrats so far will be skipping the address, according to NOTUS.