Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening will be boycotted by dozens of Democratic lawmakers, who plan to hold alternative events as he speaks to a joint session of Congress. The president is scheduled to deliver his address from the US Capitol at 21:00 ET. Trump has said the speech is expected to last “several hours”, according to CNN.
Several counter-programmes have been organised in Washington, DC. The most prominent is an event on the National Mall titled the “People’s State of the Union”. It is due to begin at 20:30 ET, around 30 minutes before Trump’s speech, and is expected to be attended by many of the Democrats who are skipping the address.
The event is being hosted by community organising groups including MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action. It will be streamed live on MeidasTouch’s YouTube channel and on MoveOn’s website.
Another event, a press conference titled “State of the Swamp”, is scheduled for 19:00 ET earlier in the evening. Lawmakers are expected to attend both programmes.
Among those boycotting the President’s address are Senators Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, Tina Smith and Chris Van Hollen. Members of the House of Representatives who have said they will not attend include Pramila Jayapal, Becca Balint and Greg Casar.
Additional lawmakers reported to be boycotting include Delia Ramirez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robert Garcia, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Emily Randall, Jim Himes and Don Beyer.
The alternative events come as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats have criticised the President’s agenda ahead of the address.
