Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday at 9pm ET will be boycotted by dozens of Democratic Party lawmakers. As Trump addresses the joint session of the US Congress, the boycotting lawmakers are holding a counterprogram which will air simultaneously with Trump’s SOTU speech.
CNN reports that there are multiple counterprograms planned around Trump’s address. The most prominent among them will be a program at the National Mall in Washington DC. Called “People’s State of the Union” the event will kick off 30 minutes before Trump’s speech and will see many of the boycotting Democrats attend.
Another program, a press conference titled “State of the Swamp,” is planned earlier in the day at 7pm ET. Many lawmakers are expected to attend both programs.
People’s State of the Union: When And Where To Watch
The People’s State of the Union program is being hosted by several community mobilizing groups, such as MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action. It will kick off at 8:30pm ET from the National Mall in Washington DC.
The event is streaming live on the YouTube channel of MediasTouch. It can also be watched on the website of MoveOn.
Who Will Attend The People’s State Of The Union Address
At least a dozen Democratic senators and US House Representatives are boycotting Trump’s State of the Union address.
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It includes Senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Among the House Reps. are Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Becca Balint of Vermont and Greg Casar of Texas.
While these names were announced initially, more names were added to the list, including Delia Ramirez of Illinois, Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Robert Garcia of California, Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico, Emily Randall of Washington, Jim Himes of Connecticut and Don Beyer of Virginia.
Trump’s SOTU speech kicks off from the US Capitol at 8pm ET. Trump has said that the speech is expected to last “several hours,” CNN reported.