Democrats Plan Boycott of Trump's State of the Union Address

Lawmakers to host 'People's State of the Union' event in protest

Feb. 21, 2026 at 1:31pm

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A 'substantial number' of Democratic lawmakers plan to skip President Donald Trump's upcoming State of the Union address and instead host an alternative 'People's State of the Union' event, according to a report from The New York Times. The move is an unprecedented 'break with tradition' as Democrats seek to push back against what they view as Trump's 'mockery' of the annual address.

Why it matters

The State of the Union address is a longstanding tradition and a major political event, so a sizable boycott by the opposition party would be highly unusual. Democrats are hoping to deny Trump an audience and platform, while also drawing attention to their own counter-event highlighting issues they feel the president has failed to address.

The details

Last year, Democratic lawmakers protested Trump's State of the Union by wearing signs and interrupting the speech. This year, they plan to take their opposition a step further by skipping the event entirely and hosting an alternative 'People's State of the Union' on the National Mall near the Capitol. The alternative event is being organized in part by the progressive group MoveOn.

  • President Trump's State of the Union address is scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2026.
  • The 'People's State of the Union' event is planned to take place simultaneously with Trump's address.

The players

President Donald Trump

The current President of the United States who will be delivering the State of the Union address.

Sen. Christopher Murphy

A Democratic senator from Connecticut who criticized Trump's State of the Union speech, saying 'He's going to tell 40 different lies, call Democrats names; he's going to paper over his corruption, and I don't feel like what he's doing dignifies having Democrats there to cloak the speech in a veneer of respectability.'

Sen. Chris Van Hollen

A Democratic senator from Maryland who said 'We cannot normalize this moment when Trump is marching our country toward fascism. I refuse to be a prop in the chamber as Donald Trump shreds our Constitution and attacks our democracy.'

MoveOn

A progressive political advocacy group that is helping to organize the alternative 'People's State of the Union' event.

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What they’re saying

“He's made a mockery of the State of the Union speech and he doesn't deserve an audience.”

— Sen. Christopher Murphy, Democratic senator from Connecticut

“We cannot normalize this moment when Trump is marching our country toward fascism. I refuse to be a prop in the chamber as Donald Trump shreds our Constitution and attacks our democracy.”

— Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Democratic senator from Maryland

What’s next

The 'People's State of the Union' event organized by Democrats and MoveOn is scheduled to take place on the National Mall near the Capitol on the same evening as President Trump's State of the Union address.

The takeaway

This planned boycott by Democratic lawmakers represents an unprecedented break from tradition and underscores the deep partisan divisions in Washington. By denying Trump an audience and hosting their own counter-event, Democrats hope to deny the president a platform and draw attention to the issues they feel he has failed to address.