Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) of Maryland said he will not attend President Donald Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address, announcing instead that he will join fellow Democrats at a protest rally on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol.
“We cannot normalize this moment when Trump is marching our country toward fascism,” Van Hollen said. “I refuse to be a prop in the chamber as Donald Trump shreds our Constitution and attacks our democracy.”
Van Hollen, who walked out of Trump’s address last year before it concluded, is among at least a dozen Democratic lawmakers planning to skip the speech and attend what organizers are calling the “People’s State of the Union.” The event is scheduled to take place near the Capitol on the same evening as the president’s address.
The rally is being organized by the progressive advocacy group MoveOn and the media organization MeidasTouch. Organizers say Democratic lawmakers will share the stage with Americans who say they have been harmed by Trump’s economic, health care and immigration policies.
According to published reports, legislators planning to attend the rally include Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Tina Smith of Minnesota, along with Van Hollen. Several House Democrats, including Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont, Greg Casar of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Delia Ramirez of Illinois, have also indicated they will participate.
Murphy sharply criticized the president’s use of the annual address, saying Trump has made “a mockery” of the State of the Union speech, “taking a moment that is meant to bring the country together and turning it into a campaign rally to spew hate and division.”
“Democrats have no obligation to reward him with an audience as he lies and attacks people who disagree with him,” he added.
The planned boycott represents a break from long-standing congressional custom. Lawmakers from both parties have historically attended State of the Union addresses even when deeply opposed to a president’s agenda, often signaling dissent through symbolic gestures rather than absence.
During Trump’s previous addresses, some Democrats held signs reading “Save Medicaid” and “Musk Steals,” and others walked out while he was speaking. In 2020, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy of Trump’s speech after he finished delivering it.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has encouraged rank-and-file Democrats either to sit quietly through the speech or to skip it, rather than create disruptions in the House chamber. Jeffries said it was his “present intention” to attend, telling reporters, “We’re not going to his house, he’s coming to our house.”
The White House dismissed the boycott effort. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson told one outlet that it was “not a surprise that they refuse to celebrate and honor the Americans who have benefited from the commonsense policies Republicans have governed with.”
Trump is scheduled to deliver the address on Feb. 24 before a joint session of Congress. The speech comes as a partial government shutdown continues, placing additional political pressure on lawmakers from both parties.
For Van Hollen, whose constituents include thousands of federal workers, the decision was simple. He said attending the rally instead of the speech is a statement about the direction of the country and the role of Congress in confronting the president.
“We cannot normalize this moment when Trump is marching our country toward fascism,” Van Hollen said. “I refuse to be a prop in the chamber as Donald Trump shreds our Constitution and attacks our democracy.”