By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-democratic-lawmakers-join-peoples-state-of-the-union-rally-during-trumps-address Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Democratic lawmakers join 'People's State of the Union' rally during Trump's address Politics Updated on Feb 24, 2026 11:30 PM EDT — Published on Feb 24, 2026 2:03 PM EDT Correction: This post originally misidentified Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen as a congressman. The text has since been corrected. We regret the error. More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers planned to attend the "People's State of the Union" rally on the National Mall on Tuesday night instead of listening to President Donald Trump's address inside the House chamber. Watch the rally in our video player above. Progressive groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn.org hosted the event, featuring federal workers, immigrants and others affected by Trump's policies, according to a press release. WATCH LIVE: Gov. Spanberger delivers Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union The lawmakers who attended the rally, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, are among a growing group of Democrats who said they wouldn't attend the speech. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. "Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy," the senator wrote on X. "This cannot be business as usual." Standing alongside activists, Democrats argued that Trump's speech would not offer an accurate portrayal of the state of the nation. "I'm not at the State of the Union speech tonight because these are not normal times," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. "And I'm not at the State of the Union speech tonight, because you're not going to hear about the state of the union." "The true state of the union is this, this union is in crisis right now. Our cities are under attack by lawless law enforcement. Our democracy is wilting under ceaseless attack from a president who wants to be a despot," he added. Find more of our coverage READ MORE: How to watch Trump's 2026 State of the Union POLL: Checks and balances aren't working under Trump, growing majority says READ MORE: Trump says he's kept all of his campaign promises. PolitiFact's MAGA-Meter shows otherwise WATCH: Tamara Keith and Jasmine Wright on Trump losing support from independents A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas Joshua Barajas is a senior editor for the PBS NewsHour's Communities Initiative. He's also the senior editor and manager of newsletters. @Josh_Barrage By — Associated Press Associated Press
Correction: This post originally misidentified Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen as a congressman. The text has since been corrected. We regret the error. More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers planned to attend the "People's State of the Union" rally on the National Mall on Tuesday night instead of listening to President Donald Trump's address inside the House chamber. Watch the rally in our video player above. Progressive groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn.org hosted the event, featuring federal workers, immigrants and others affected by Trump's policies, according to a press release. WATCH LIVE: Gov. Spanberger delivers Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union The lawmakers who attended the rally, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, are among a growing group of Democrats who said they wouldn't attend the speech. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. "Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy," the senator wrote on X. "This cannot be business as usual." Standing alongside activists, Democrats argued that Trump's speech would not offer an accurate portrayal of the state of the nation. "I'm not at the State of the Union speech tonight because these are not normal times," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. "And I'm not at the State of the Union speech tonight, because you're not going to hear about the state of the union." "The true state of the union is this, this union is in crisis right now. Our cities are under attack by lawless law enforcement. Our democracy is wilting under ceaseless attack from a president who wants to be a despot," he added. Find more of our coverage READ MORE: How to watch Trump's 2026 State of the Union POLL: Checks and balances aren't working under Trump, growing majority says READ MORE: Trump says he's kept all of his campaign promises. PolitiFact's MAGA-Meter shows otherwise WATCH: Tamara Keith and Jasmine Wright on Trump losing support from independents A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now