Keisha Lee, CEO of Annie Malone Children & Family Services, was a guest of Congressman Wesley Bell during President Trump’s address to Congress last Tuesday night in Washington D.C.
She saw quite a show, as Democratic House members protested throughout the evening, refused to attend or wore attire directly intended to reach constituents throughout the nation.
Republicans hold a narrow advantage over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and that house is truly divided.
In a historic show of rebellion against President Trump during his State of the Union address to Congress, Democrats either refused to attend, disrupted the “MAGA rally,” or wore protest shirts while sitting stone faced and silent.
Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a St. Louis-area native, attended the beginning of Trump’s speech wearing a shirt with a picture of Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress, and the words “unbought and unbossed” on it.
Bell did not protest during the evening but told Jason Rosenbaum of St. Louis Public Radio interview before Trump’s speech, “Democrats are united.’
“As a caucus, we have decided that some folks are going to protest in a different way and some folks are going to be right there in our House to show how [Trump’s agenda] impacts the American people that we are all supposed to be up here fighting for,” he said.
“In years past a person like me didn’t have the ability or the privilege to be on the House floor. We’re not going to have someone run us out, out of the people’s House, our House.
“Were fighting together collectively. I’ve never seen Democrats more united. We’re going to move forward in that vein and do everything we can to protect and fight for the interests of regular working families.”
While Bell chose a moderate approach, “Resist” was the word of the night carried on many pink shirts worn by House members.
Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a St. Louis-area native, attended the beginning of Trump’s speech wearing a shirt with a picture of Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress, and the words “unbought and unbossed” on it.
She would leave shortly thereafter in a symbolic walkout with some other Democratic House members.
She said they attended for a brief period because “we earned these seats.”
“We are going to fight [Trump] tooth and nail. We are going to combat all the lies, and we are going to continue to serve the people that even went out and elected him to their own dismay,” said Crockett.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Democratic leadership were absent from the escort committee that usually walks with the president into the House chamber. Jeffries spokesperson said the action “speaks for itself.”
Before Trump began speaking, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan held up a whiteboard with the words, “That’s a Lie.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Green of Texas waited only minutes before walking into an aisle while waving his cane at the president and shouting. While Republican demonstrations during speeches by President Barack Obama went unchecked, House speaker Mike Johnson had Green removed from the House chamber.
Many Democrats then removed jackets revealing slogans “Resist.”
Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost’s shirt read, “No More Kings.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York wrote online, “I’m not going to the Joint Address. I will be posting live and chatting with you all here instead.”
“It’s a MAGA pep rally,” said U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy. “We have to fight every single day, every single day.”
Vermont U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D), who refused to attend, said “I watched [Trump] take an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution. All he did was spew lies, stoke division, and make no effort to unify our country.
“I won’t sit and watch him lie to the American people again.”
When asked what she would say to the president, Crockett said, “Grow a spine and stop being Putin’s hoe,” referring to Trumps betrayal of Ukraine and his support of Russia’s communist leader.
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, who represents part of the Metro East said Trump “failed to present concrete solutions to address rising costs for working families.”
“With egg prices soaring and tariffs threatening our farmers, the President should be focused on making life easier, not harder. I remain focused on standing up for Medicaid recipients worried about losing care, for teachers and parents terrified of cuts to public education, for farmers concerned about the president disrupting their markets, and for families across the country who want a better tomorrow for the next generation.”
The most jarring moment of the State of the Union wasn’t a policy proposal or a line in the speech—it was the silence of action. While words about unity, sacrifice, and the struggles of everyday Americans echoed through the chamber, a significant portion of the Democratic Party sat stone-faced, arms folded, refusing to stand for virtually anything. Not for working families. Not for law enforcement. Not for small businesses. Not even for broadly shared American ideals that once transcended party lines.
This wasn’t principled dissent; it was performative contempt. Standing during the State of the Union is not an endorsement of every policy—it is a basic gesture of respect for the office, the process, and most importantly, the American people watching at home. By choosing to remain seated again and again, Democrats sent a clear message: political opposition now outweighs national unity, and symbolism matters more than solidarity.
Millions of Americans tuned in hoping to see leaders rise above division, even briefly. Instead, they were met with pettiness masquerading as protest. When lawmakers won’t stand to acknowledge shared values or common struggles, it exposes a deeper rot—an obsession with resistance for resistance’s sake, even when it means dismissing the very citizens they claim to champion.
Disagreement is healthy in a republic. Disrespect is not. The refusal to stand wasn’t bravery, conviction, or moral high ground—it was childish theater. And the ones disrespected most weren’t the speaker at the podium, but the American people who deserve representatives capable of separating partisan grudges from basic decency.
Leadership requires more than sitting in a seat and shaking your head. It requires showing up—physically and symbolically—for the nation you serve. On that night, far too many failed that test.