While the Republicans in Congress chanted U.S.A. and rose for numerous ovations as President Trump gave his State of the Union Address, the Democrats sat stone-faced, even refusing to applaud the guests highlighted at the event.
In a record-long 100-minute speech, Trump repudiated nearly every Biden administration initiative over the last four years and chastised the Democrats for going along with them. He reminded everyone of his voter mandate and Executive Orders, some signed immediately after he took the oath of office, which canceled Woke and DEI policies, threw men out of women’s sports, erased the “green new scam,” got rid of the electric vehicle mandate, and declared a National Energy Emergency so the country could “Drill, baby, drill.” He flatly told them it didn’t take legislation to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country, “just a new president.”
Texas Rep. Al Green couldn’t take it anymore and made a national fool of himself when he jumped up and shook his cane at the President. Speaker Mike Johnson had the 20-year Congressman removed by the Sergeant at Arms.
The Democrats were widely criticized on Social Media for their antics, especially for not clapping for a 13-year-old boy from Green’s district who was battling brain cancer. Devarjaye Daniel dreams of being a police officer and, in the most poignant moment of the night, was named an honorary member of the Secret Service. Hearts melted when he gave Director Sean Curran a big hug. But even that wasn’t enough for the Democrats, who checked their phones and rolled their eyes.
DJ became an instant celebrity, warning the Democrats during interviews that they would have to deal with him if they weren’t nice to the President. MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace covered the young man’s moment in the sun by callously wondering if he would have come to the President’s assistance as an agent during the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
Observers noted that some of the female members of Congress wore pink in solidarity with women but cringed when Trump promised to keep men from competing against them in sports. They refused to join the other side of the aisle in applauding a young volleyball player who suffered a brain injury after being spiked by a male opponent. It didn’t go unnoticed that every Democrat voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, a bill supported by the President.
Sen. Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan gave the Democrat response, saying, “President Trump talked a big game on the economy, but it’s always important to read the fine print. So, do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close.” She accused him of “trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends,” adding, “He’s on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America. And to do that, he’s going to make you pay in every part of your life. Grocery and home prices are going up, not down — and he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either.”
That was news to Long Island Congressman Nick LaLota, who said, “My reaction is that l approve. I approve of the message and am looking forward to more of the productivity that follows.” LaLota added that he’s “Frustrated to see my friends from across the aisle show they hate Trump so much that they couldn't stand for DJ Daniel, the Abraham Accords, the prospect of peace between Ukraine and Russia, and NYPD Officer Diller's widow. Our nation needs a loyal opposition, not pure hatred.”
“You can hate Donald Trump all you want, but are you telling me that you can’t clap for a kid who is beating cancer,” said state Senator Dean Murray. “He should have gotten a standing ovation, and instead, the Democrats just sat there, letting the world know how hateful they are. It was embarrassing.”
Alexis Nungaray was a guest of the President on behalf of her daughter, Jocelyn, who was sexually assaulted and murdered by two Venezuelan gang members let into the country by Joe Biden. “I found it very cowardly that the Democrats didn’t clap and didn’t do anything to support anything that Donald Trump is trying as president to make this country better,” she said. “It was very shameful. They don’t stand for anything humane. It’s very disgraceful to us as U.S. citizens; it’s disgusting.”
“I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or make them stand and smile or applaud,” Trump said of the Democrats. “I could find a cure to the most devastating diseases, a disease that would wipe out entire nations, or announce the answers to the greatest economy in history, and these people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements.”