Should Dems Boycott SOTU address?

[duckworth969]

I say yes.

“Senate Democrats are having discussions about whether to boycott the event and talked it over during a closed-door lunch this week, according to two people granted anonymity to share details of the private conversations. Some members of the caucus are currently expected to attend, though a swath is undecided.”

Personally, I’d like to see the solidarity. There’s nothing Chump says that anybody needs or wants to hear anyway.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/16/2369015/-Republicans-Are-Worried-About-the-Optics-of-the-Upcoming-State-of-the-Union-Dems-Should-Be-too

[Dave Bowman]

1. If they do it I'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Trueblue1968]

40. YES, Yes yes, oh God Yeeeeeeessssssss!!!!!

Yes yes yes

[Ars Longa]

70. Every last Dem should have a Town-Hall session,.... listening and conversing

with their voters in their respective districts, on SOTU night.
And then contrast that, with the Lying Fascist Poop Trump will be
slinging, only to White Old Man Republicans, on TV!!
It would make a great split-screen!!

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Yes

And they need to be high profile.

Schumer, Durbin, Klobuchar and Booker can attend as representatives of the Senate.

Jeffries and Clark can attend to Represent the House.

[leftstreet]

3. They should, but they won't n/t

[MustLoveBeagles]

4. Yes 👍

[themaguffin]

5. only if it's so that they all attend the Dem Response and cheer that on.

[Lovie777]

6. shithole will say something nasty about them.....

all the while lying and making up shit. Once that happens Democrats should walk out. Fetterman and maybe a few house democrats will not.

[durablend]

48. If anything Fetterman will clap and maybe give a thumbs up

[sheshe2]

60. Fetterman was on FOX:

John Fetterman Visits Fox to Give the GOP Advice On How to Keep the Senate

John Fetterman Visits Fox to Give the GOP Advice On How to Keep the Senate Mediaite

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-02-17T18:01:34.000Z

He will be at the SOTU cheering.

[rzemanfl]

7. Hell yes. Every single one, although if Fetterman attended it might convey a message.

[Fynoderee]

8. SOTU response

Dems should all attend but they should all wear masks like the ICE thugs.

[Easterncedar]

10. Nice

[jls4561]

28. What if they wore two masks. The one seen when they enter would look normal, but...

at the first lie or insult, they pull down the outer mask to reveal one that reads “Quiet, piggy!”

[orangecrush]

68. I like it

[LetMyPeopleVote]

88. Welcome to DU

[Easterncedar]

9. Get up and walk out at the first offense.

[Easterncedar]

11. How about they attend and make a show of ripping paper after

To recreate Pelosi's gesture of contempt?

[Karadeniz]

12. Moon him.....

[Rhiannon12866]

79. ...

[flvegan]

13. LOL, they won't. "History" "decorum" "appearances" will take priority.

Literally listening to the equivalent of a petulant toddler, lying and shitting himself for however long he feels is necessary. Blathering endlessly about nothing of fact, devoid of any reality. All the while every piece of shit republican in attendance falls over themselves with ovation after ovation.

The entire show is pathetic. Vince McMahon would be in awe.

[Raven123]

14. Yes. Why attend an event at which you know you will be attacked ?

Don’t accept the abuse.

[SocialDemocrat61]

15. No

If there are no democrats there, republicans will fill the chamber. There is nothing Trump would like more than to have an audience that applauds and cheers everything he says.

[leftstreet]

16. Applauding a pedophile. The optics are cringe n/t

[SocialDemocrat61]

22. Absolutely

But it will just feed Trump’s ego and most casual viewers will think democrats are applauding him too. Maybe democrats should attend but sit with their backs to Trump.

[dpibel]

72. Republicans will fill the chamber?

How does that work?

Pretty sure it's a reserved seat gig.

[SocialDemocrat61]

73. Any former member is allowed

of congress is allowed on the floor of there is room.

[Ritabert]

17. I won't be watching in any case

Can't stand looking at him or listening to him.

[bucolic_frolic]

18. Sparse attendance, refusal to greet, walk out at various points.

Laughter might be appropriate too.

[bluestarone]

19. Shit, it took me ONE SECOND to think about that

HELL YES!!!

[Frasier Balzov]

20. What if they attend but keep their arms folded?

[Fiendish Thingy]

21. No, they should attend and heckle the fuck out of him. Nt

[maxsolomon]

86. That's essentially what happens in the British Parliament every time the PM speaks

and the nation doesn't collapse.

Sustained, repeated booing and chants of "BS" are entirely appropriate and would be aggressive resistance, not the passive aggression of a boycott.

[MyOwnPeace]

23. What about this?

Rent the Kennedy Center and have all Democrats there - give the response speech from there, and have some of the acts that have backed out of their concerts there perform between speeches.
And televise it, opening the auditorium to a free concert,,,,

[lame54]

24. Walk out after his first word

[Permanut]

27. Yes!

[QueerDuck]

25. Let's heckle him. "You LIE!" and "LIAR!"

[LetMyPeopleVote]

26. Yes, members of the Senate and Congress should boycott the SOTU

Last edited Tue Feb 17, 2026, 04:15 PM - Edit history (1)

I know that I will NOT be watching this speech. I cannot stand listening to trump for even a short period of time

[CrispyQ]

29. Or they could all wear bright orange tee-shirts with Epstein's image on them.

It would be nice to see a BOLD statement from the entire party, not just the outliers.

[calimary]

35. Now THAT would be MOST excellent!!!

[LuvLoogie]

30. Attend, disrupt, boo

Shout "Lie!" every time he does.

Shout "What about the Epstein files?"

Shout "One million!"

[ancianita]

33. Recommend this a thousand times. Boo in unison at his entrance and exit, and everything you say in between.

Just one question: what's the "One million!" about?

[bsiebs]

39. he is mentioned over one million times in the Epstein files... per Jamie Raskin after viewing the unredacted files...

[ancianita]

65. Ah, yes! I'd forgotten. Thank you.

[LuvLoogie]

55. Jamie Raskin says Shit Mouth is mentioned

a million times in the files

[ancianita]

66. Thanks for the reminder.

[OldBaldy1701E]

38. That is what needs to happen. (n/t)

[Escape]

31. All show up....

...with their faces redacted.

[Torchlight]

32. If I had my druthers, they would all attend and in absolute silence for the duration

Thus illustrating an obligation for the institution while simultaneously derision for the wee man.

[Xavier Breath]

85. That's a good compromise.

People need to remember that whatever the Dems do this time the Rethugs will respond in kind to the next Dem president who addresses congress. I know, nobody cares.

[hamsterjill]

34. I liked the idea that someone presented with empty chairs

Holding pictures of Epstein victims.

I would truly like to see something that makes an unmistakable statement.

[Evolve Dammit]

36. yes. We cannot encourage criminal corruption and flagrant violations of our judicial system. Stand up time. And the

advent and full throated impementation of secret police with a budget larger than USMC????

[bsiebs]

37. Not sure what our reps will be doing, but I will be watching the State of the Swamp address (aired during the SOFU)

https://www.defiance.org/sotu

[edbermac]

41. They should attend and start chanting 'Epstein' the minute he walks in

Maybe he’ll get so enraged that he’ll have a stroke.

[NNadir]

52. The Orexx solution. I like it. Pictures of the victims would also be a nice touch.

[Rastapopoulos]

62. That's what I was going to say

It could be like a basketball game. Instead of "Air ball, Airball" it should be "Ep-Stein, Ep-Stein" at key points during the speech.

[boonecreek]

42. Absolutely.

I'm boycotting it. Can't stand the sound of his voice.

[DownriverDem]

43. Not sure

but I am not watching it. I can't stand seeing him or hearing his voice.

[Martin Eden]

44. Boycott or walk out. Don't just sit there in quiet acquiescence.

I don't like the idea of catcalls and heckling. Not a good look.

[Figarosmom]

45. This is just creating drama

To get people to watch. I will not be watching.

[Ping Tung]

46. As he starts his whining and bombastic speech they should all silently stand up and

one-by-one ignore him and walk very slowly out. No shouting, no threats, no gestures. Just a dignified display of contempt for the lunatic on stage.

[DET]

47. All or Nothing

If they’re going to boycott or have an organized response, they should show a unified front. We don’t need to see or hear ‘Dems in disarray’. Same if they decide to show up but walk out.

I understand the gravitas of the SOTU, but if Democrats decide to make a gesture of protest, it should be a bold one. Something that will result in comments like ‘Democrats showed a courageous display of unity at the SOTU’, not ‘Democrats weak response was juvenile and pathetic’.

[durablend]

50. It doesn't matter

No matter what, Fetterman will shit on whatever we do

[Aviation Pro]

49. They should hold up photos of Trump-Epstein victims

And shake them in front of his fucking pedophile, fat face.

[boston bean]

51. Yes. Why bother. He didn't bother showing up for Biden's inauguration. Loser!

[FalloutShelter]

53. They should attend

And each should have a picture of an Epstein victim that they will hold up through the speech.

Force him to overreact and take him off his prepared script… live TV.

Blow the fuse. Maybe he strokes out.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

59. Great idea

[DinahMoeHum]

54. No. They should demonstrate and heckle

If you stay home, your message stays home with you.

[Scrivener7]

56. YES! We all know it will be a waste of time. And we shouldn't do any cute or fancy protest

moves either. No going but then walking out, no wearing special protest clothes and then walking out, no mooning him (though I do like that suggestion best!)

He is not worth the effort. Democrats should not grace his nonsense with an audience.

Instead, they should have an alternate SOTU where they tell the truth. There's a lot of emotion to what republicans are doing to people. Have someone make a speech that highlights 20 real Americans and the hell they are in right now. Epstein victims, family members of those murdered or kidnapped by ICE, people who are out of a job, people who can't afford groceries, women who can't get medical care and have a pregnancy nightmare story.

And the speech should connect the dots to show how that hell is viral and coming to us all in one way or another.

[vapor2]

57. They should attend but they should be provided barf bags

[MorbidButterflyTat]

58. No.

If Democrats surrender the SOTU to the MAGAts, it will turn into a Piggy/MAGAt rally.

Cowards run away.

[senseandsensibility]

61. ABSOLUTELY! Are we still, seriously, having this argument?

What is the down side? Poll after poll after poll shows that the Dem base wants more action and less business as usual. If our side still worries that it will look bad or "set a precedent" or whatever nonsense they are living in a dream world. I was all for them boycotting the first speech a year ago, but my Dem congresswoman was not open to the idea at all. It seems that they have learned nothing in a year. Sorry, but I assume that there is no chance of this happening, although I would love to be proven wrong.

[biocube]

63. I think they should go...

...and throw tomatoes at him.

[Wiz Imp]

64. Pointless question because it's not going to happen.

Sure, some will not attend, but there is zero chance of most boycotting. Besides, it would accomplish nothing. Why people here think it would be this great thing, I'll never understand. 98% of the population couldn't care less.

[Ilikepurple]

77. Zero chance? 98% couldn't care less?

I can’t believe the MSM keeps hiding these concrete numbers from us. I believe there is a vanishingly small but non zero chance most will do this. I see “zero chance” bandied about too casually for my tastes. The only rhetorical reason I can see to assign zero probability to an idea that has a non zero chance of occurring is to make person considering it feel foolish.
I’ll also remember that it is pointless to ask any questions that are not likely to happen. No more thought experiments? Sometimes entertaining possible but improbable scenarios (I forgot here we have an impossible scenario) can give us insights into our thoughts and understanding of a matter. I see no issue with discussing this matter every year as one year there may be a non zero chance of a boycott and then I hope our opinions mights matter. I’m not even sure I disagree with your assessment, but I’d like to be able to consider it without being told that one position is so beyond reason it would be folly to consider the question. Your knowledge and understanding is valuable here, so I’m disappointed when I feel you could make your point less dismissively.

[orangecrush]

67. Never happen.

[ThreeNoSeep]

69. They should chant Nazi Pedophile Rapist until he leaves the podium

Boycott?
Heck no. Shut that flapping rectum face down.

[Tree Lady]

71. I think the should attend but hold signs

Every time he says a lie hold up hundreds of signs saying liar, maybe even criminal.

[hunter]

74. In an alternate universe they all go naked, demonstrating that they have nothing to hide.

In this universe maybe they could all wear hearing protection because everything Trump says is shit.

Personally, Trump's voice makes my skin crawl. I avoid all media where I might hear it.


wikipedia

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

75. I won't waste my time on it

[IcyPeas]

76. FFS he posted a clip depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.

We're supposed to be polite?

He is a piece of shit.

(I like the idea of shouting "Liar" or "Murderer" or "Pedophile" or whatever phrase fits)

[rampartd]

78. there i a non zero chance he will use the opportunity to jailor kill his opponents

as a saddam hussien level example of his authority.

[betsuni]

80. Not going might be seen as where-are-the-Democrats, being weak, not fighting or standing up to Trump.

I thought that was bad. Or to people who don't pay attention to politics, evidence that it's Democrats who refuse to work with Republicans, that both sides are extreme.

The difference between the parties is startling, clearly good vs evil like in a movie. Show the American people. Maybe a few will be watching.

Democrats should have a big boozy dance party after to purify themselves.

[StoolPigeon]

81. Keep in mind

Some of Epstein's victims are planning to be in attendance so any actions along those lines should be respectful of them. Personally, I prefer the attend and walk out plan. But I would arrange it so that one person left at a time, about one every 10 seconds and in order by where they are sitting.

As for myself, I would be watching except I plan on being busy watching paint dry.

[Roc2020]

82. Go. Then sit there

and simply stare at him. No clapping no standing. Just stare at him stone faced. The files will be playing in his mind like a violin.

[travelingthrulife]

83. Why would anyone bother other than the poor souls who have to watch for a living?

[Greybnk48]

84. 100% yes! n/t

[gulliver]

87. Show up, behave like adults

Hopefully, whoever had the brilliant idea of using the little signs last year has been sent to the corner with a conical cap. We need to get the House, and it's not in the bag. Elissa Slotkin gave an excellent response to the SOTU last year. Let's hope we follow that up with more like it, not the silly stuff.