Democratic leaders have urged their members not to interrupt President Trump during next week’s State of the Union address.
According to a report from Axios, the party is preparing a slate of separate responses from different factions as part of a strategy that will result in several competing messages on the same night.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the official Democratic rebuttal, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced.
The opposition party has traditionally offered a formal response to the president’s address since the early 1980s.
But that will not be the only Democratic rebuttal.
California Sen. Alex Padilla is set to deliver a Spanish-language response, which will presumably try and portray Hispanics as a left-wing monolith fighting Trump’s immigration policies.
Padilla drew national attention last year after he was removed from a Homeland Security press conference while attempting to question officials about mass deportations.
ALERT:
Senator Alex Padilla thrown on the ground and cuffed after crashing DHS press conference and ass-ulting officers.pic.twitter.com/7owW16LelF
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) June 12, 2025
In announcing his role, Jeffries said Padilla has “consistently fought back and proven Democrats will not bend the knee to this out-of-control administration.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) will give a separate address on behalf of the Working Families Party.
Some Democrats are also planning to attend activist-organized counter-events, including gatherings billed as the “People’s State of the Union” and the “State of the Swamp.”
“It made us LOOK LIKE CHILDREN!”
“Have some DIGNITY!”
“Don’t put up those silly paddles and weird protests.” pic.twitter.com/aIeXj0DtpJ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 14, 2026
Others may not attend the president’s speech at all. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is among those expected to skip the address.
Chuck Schumer defends Democrats refusing to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address.
SCHUMER: “That’s fine with me.”
Democrats don’t care about Americans — they are completely consumed by their deranged hatred of President Trump. pic.twitter.com/o4ZGDKXpoE
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 21, 2026
The result is likely to be a series of Democratic responses, delivered across different platforms and aimed at different audiences, as the party works to challenge Trump’s agenda heading into the midterm cycle.
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