Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) will deliver a prebuttal on Tuesday morning to President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address.
McIver, who is facing federal charges for attempting to enter an immigration holding facility last year, is partnering with the left-wing group Democracy Defenders Action for the speech.
“The threats facing our democracy have never been greater,” Norm Eisen, founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Action, told Politico Playbook.
The prebuttal will stream on MeidasTouch hours before Trump heads to Capitol Hill to address the country. McIver’s selection is notable, as she is only in her first full term after being first sworn in to finish out the term of the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in September 2024, later winning the general election that fall.
She is also facing prosecution from the Trump administration on charges of allegedly assaulting and impeding law enforcement officers outside a federal immigration facility in early 2025. McIver has pleaded not guilty and called the case politically motivated.
In January, a federal judge declined to dismiss one of the three criminal charges against her. If convicted, she could face a maximum of 17 years in prison.
Several Democrats are opting not to attend Trump’s State of the Union and will instead engage in alternate programming.
MeidasTouch, along with MoveOn Civic Action, is hosting the “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall on Tuesday evening. It is set to begin around the time of Trump’s speech, with many House and Senate Democratic lawmakers opting to attend it rather than the official address.
Another counter-programming event is the “State of the Swamp,” which will happen earlier in the day. Some Democrats attending that event will also attend Trump’s address.
WHO ISN’T ATTENDING THE STATE OF THE UNION, AND WHAT TO EXPECT FROM DEMOCRATIC RESISTANCE
For those attending, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has laid out ground rules: if you are in the chamber, sit in “silent defiance.” Democratic leaders went back and forth over how best to respond to Trump’s State of the Union, particularly after numerous outbursts and walkouts from their caucus during the president’s joint address last year.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Democracy Defenders Action and McIver for comment.