As President Donald Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, many Democrats sat in the chamber silent and stone-faced, opting to send visual displays of dissent against the president.
But their color-coordinated outfits, their placards reading “FALSE” and “MUSK STEALS,” and their quiet walkouts were hardly a match for Trump’s bluster, both in style and in substance.
During his historically long speech, Trump rattled off a litany of false and exaggerated claims and taunted Democrats to their faces. He basked in his purges of federal workers and gloated about coming out on top despite multiple criminal cases. Republicans chanted “USA! USA!” and shouted down their Democratic colleagues as Trump looked on smugly.
Although there was a loud, unexpected moment of protest from Rep. Al Green of Texas, who was quickly escorted out of the chamber, Democrats largely remained tight-lipped throughout Trump’s speech. It was as Democratic leaders had hoped: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York cautioned his colleagues “to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber” in a letter the day before.
But opposing a politician whose forte is being the most outrageous in the room with literal silence likely does little to assuage the concerns about how Democrats are responding to Trump. Their largely silent protests Tuesday night have exasperated critics and underscored their seeming inaction in the face of Trump’s chaotic onslaught.
Recent polls have shown that Democratic voters have grown frustrated with their elected officials for not pushing back harder against Trump. Protests against the administration’s overhaul of the federal infrastructure have also led to calls for Democrats to do more to resist Trump’s executive orders.
Democrats are in a tough position in Congress, where they have a minority in both chambers. And several Democrats have admittedly been more outspoken and proactive in opposing some of Trump’s moves. But the party as a whole has struggled to meet the barrage of changes from the Trump administration with the same energy. Some members have also reportedly been unhappy with the pressure from their constituents to do more to oppose Trump.
Democrats have long faced accusations of passivity in the face of Trump’s — and increasingly the GOP’s — brand of brash and confrontational politics. And after a bruising election result last year, Democrats are again dealing with the perception that they are a meek opposition more concerned with decorum and civility than results. If anything, their response Tuesday only affirmed those criticisms.
