As Trump’s agenda either stumbles or sparks a reaction, he is following a familiar Washington principle that when your enemy is sinking, you don’t give them a hand.
I’ve talked to members of Congress, senior Democratic strategists, and outside organizers about how Democratic members of Congress should react during the big speech.
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They point out that the Supreme Court rebuked Trump on tariffs, which is also dividing Republicans. Health care costs are increasing. The brutal tactics of immigration agents are generating outrage among voters. There is even a partial government shutdown.
If Trump stands in the House well and delivers his usual mix of false statements, self-praise and outlandish platitudes, he thinks it will remind voters why they’re not happy with him right now. Why foil him?
The argument is not serious. But it is incomplete.
Let me be clear. I am not calling for anarchy or a spectacle by the Democratic leadership. Caucus discipline matters. But there’s a difference between refusing to encourage disruption and actively suppressing it. And suppressing it is a mistake.
Empty seats will give a message whether the leadership wants this or not.
Nearly two dozen Democratic members have announced they will not attend, opting for alternative events such as the People’s State of the Union or State of the Swamp. Others may be absent because winter storms disrupted travel and forced voting to be postponed. Empty seats will give a message whether the leadership wants this or not.
For those who participate, the guidance is supposedly silent disobedience.
But silence in a room with Donald Trump is not defiance. This is the background.
The country has seen the Democrats go through a year and a few weeks of institutional erosion. Through attacks on election administration. Through the weaponization of immigration enforcement. Through executive overreach that expands constitutional limits. The response from voters is not that Democrats need to calm down. They need to show that they understand the gravity of the moment.
I keep thinking about last year, when Texas Representative Al Green stood up and refused to sit quietly. He was removed and condemned by the sergeant-at-arms. The leadership indicated its uneasiness. Inside Washington, the verdict was quick: It was a distraction, it gave Republicans a talking point, it spoiled the message.
Something different happened outside Washington.
The image spread. This coincides with people who feel neglected, who are angry about the prices of health care, what they see as government indifference or cruelty. They saw someone inside the chamber who seemed just as unstable as they felt. That moment did not break the resistance; It made him energetic. It was preceded by months of organizing and demonstrations that made it clear that a large part of the country did not consider it normal.
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