Multiple Democratic lawmakers ditched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday to attend a counterevent in Washington.
The “State of the Swamp” event began at 7 p.m., two hours before Trump’s annual speech, and was headlined by actor Robert De Niro. The protest was held at the National Press Club, about a 15-minute drive from Capitol Hill, where Trump was speaking.
Attendees wore green clothes and inflatable frog costumes to tie into the event’s swamp theme. A couple of speakers even wore frog hats.
Democrats partaking in this event included Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), a virtual appearance by 2024 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, and a virtual appearance by activist Stacey Abrams, among others.
“This year, we attest whether democracy still belongs to the people, and that’s why turnout has to be decisive and overwhelming, because when people show up and engage, authoritarians start to lose their grip on power,” Abrams said in a video.
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Besides De Niro, other celebrities and political commentators who spoke at Tuesday’s event included Avengers actor Mark Ruffalo via video, former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, British American journalist Mehdi Hasan, and ex-ABC News reporter Terry Moran. Ruffalo protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the 2026 Golden Globes, and he also played a villainous Trump-esque character in the 2025 film Mickey 17.
Defiance organized the event.
Opposing ICE was another factor at Tuesday’s event, with Acosta saying “f*** ICE” as he spoke on his panel. Former Democratic Sen. Jon Tester also said Democrats need to “impeach this son of a b****” Trump if they retake the House of Representatives in November.
Goldman called to “release the files,” drawing applause from the audience. The lawmaker was referring to files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a separate area from the stage, attendees could take photos of reading mock files in “The Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room,” with the photo booth’s background mimicking the blacked-out files and only showing the room’s title.
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“State of the Swamp” is not the only counterprogramming to Trump’s speech. Numerous Democratic senators and representatives are skipping the speech to attend the People’s State of the Union at the National Mall.
Trump invited Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, as a special guest to his speech. The U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, which won the gold medal against Canada on Sunday, also attended the State of the Union.