Meet The 7 Democrats Who Are Boycotting Trump’s State Of The Union

There are seven Democrats who are standing by their principles and refusing to normalize Trump by attending his State Of The Union.

Read: Kristi Noem Is Banned From 20% of South Dakota.

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The seven House Democrats are Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), John Lewis (D-GA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).

Schakowsky said in a statement, “I will be boycotting President Trump’s State of the Union this year because I refuse to normalize President Donald Trump and his loathsome language and actions. The American people have been subjected to a year of racist, erratic, and divisive behavior from their Commander in Chief, and I refuse to accept that as the new normal. With every day that passes, a new tweet, breaking news story, or leaked quote sheds new light on President Trump’s twisted and prejudiced mind. From calling for an illegal ban of Muslims during the first week of his Presidency (and on Holocaust Remembrance Day) and refusing to condemn Nazis and White Supremacists in Charlottesville, to referring to Haiti and African nations as ‘sh*tholes’, President Trump has completely disrespected millions of patriotic Americans and the office of the Presidency. Time and time again he has sown division and hatred time and time again. We can’t treat this as normal. I refuse to sit on the floor of the House of Representatives and politely clap for a man who has demonstrated such clear contempt for so many segments of the American population.”

Rep. Meeks told MSNBC, “I cannot give this man, who does not respect me, the respect to be in that audience. I will not be there.”

Rep. Jayapal said, “This is a time for crystal clarity and courage. We cannot send mixed messages—to him or to the millions of people he demeans. That is why I will not attend the official State of the Union, and instead will join activists from across the country, women of color and others in holding our own State of OUR Union, where we resist this racism and put forward our own progressive vision for our beloved country.”

These seven House Democrats are standing up against racism, hatred, and division. It would be nice if more Democrats would join them in realizing that Trump has not earned their respect. While the argument is valid and that one can respect the presidency and not the president, Democrats must be careful to never normalize Trump and his behavior.

Each Democrat will do what they think is right, but the seven Democrats who are boycotting deserve to be praised for their stand against this president and what he is attempting to do their already great country.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association