Democrats criticized Donald Trump’s inaugural prime-time address to Congress after his return to the White House, as the reactions revealed a nation still greatly divided along political lines, with the opposition party struggling to understand how to counter his extreme agenda.
The Democrats’ lack of representation in key government roles – being in the minority in both the Senate and House of Representatives – has left them with few strategies to effectively respond to Trump’s lengthy 1-hour and 40-minute speech, which was essentially a celebration of his alleged accomplishments since taking office six weeks ago.
Several emerging leaders within the party, like Chris Murphy, a prominent senator from Connecticut, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive congresswoman from New York, opted to protest by not attending the event.
Those who chose to attend displayed their discontent by turning their backs on Trump while he spoke and by holding up signs that read “No kings,” “Save Medicaid,” and “Musk steals,” in reference to the significant cost-cutting initiatives led by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The protest was mockingly likened to bingo cards by one typically supportive commentator, Symne Sanders-Townsend, a host on MSNBC.
“Why are Democrats just sitting there? The signs are not connecting. It feels like bingo! Sigh,” she tweeted on X.
The audience, composed of silent and grim-faced Democrats – some adorned with Ukrainian flags or wearing colors representing the country – served as the perfect backdrop for Trump to take jabs at them in real time.
“I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I can do,” Trump remarked. “These people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements.”
However, not all expressions of discontent from Democrats were passive.
A few members shouted “January 6” – referencing the attack on the US Capitol in 2021, incited by Trump – as he pledged to enforce “law and order” while praising the police.
The most vocal act of defiance came from Al Green, a congressman from Texas, who was removed from the chamber by House Speaker Mike Johnson after he heckled Trump, asserting that Trump had no mandate.
Following the incident, Green, 77, who is drafting articles of impeachment against Trump, told reporters that his removal was “worth it to inform people that some of us will stand up.”
A more restrained Democratic response was articulated by Elissa Slotkin, a senator from Michigan, selected to deliver the party’s official rebuttal. She won her seat last November in a competitive election battleground state where Trump narrowly triumphed over Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.
Slotkin, a former CIA officer, criticized Trump’s apparent abandonment of Ukraine, asserting that Ronald Reagan, a previous Republican president, would be “turning in his grave” at the current president’s submissiveness to Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader.
“President Trump loves to tout ‘peace through strength’,” she said in a televised response from her hometown of Wyandotte, Michigan. “That’s actually a phrase he borrowed from Ronald Reagan. But let me tell you, after the spectacle that just unfolded in the Oval Office last week, Reagan must be rolling over in his grave.
after newsletter promotion
“We all desire an end to the war in Ukraine, but Reagan understood that true strength required America to align its military and economic capabilities with moral integrity.
“As a child of the Cold War, I’m grateful it was Reagan and not Trump in the 1980s. Trump would have cost us the Cold War.”
Slotkin also sought to energize her Democratic colleagues against the apathy stemming from Trump’s assertive agenda, while instilling hope in citizens concerned about the future of US democracy.
“I’ve lived and worked in various countries. I’ve witnessed democracies fade away. I’ve experienced life under a rigged government,” she asserted. “Don’t ever deceive yourself into thinking that democracy isn’t valuable and worth fighting for.”
Encouraging resistance against an apparently unchecked Trump, she continued: “Do not reject the fight. America needs you now more than ever. If earlier generations hadn’t defended democracy, where would we be today? We all recognize that our nation is navigating through something significant at the moment. We’re uncertain of what tomorrow may bring, not to mention the coming decade.
“But this is not the first time we’ve faced major and tumultuous transformations as a nation. Every single time, we’ve emerged from those periods through two essential elements: engaged citizens and principled leaders.”
Jasmine Crocket, a Democratic congresswoman from Texas, used more vivid language as she vowed to confront Trump, whom she labeled “truly psychotic” for his claim during the speech regarding an intent to acquire Greenland.
“Why are we in a conflict with Greenland?” she asked Adam Mockler from the progressive MeidasTouch Network. “We’re at odds with Canada, and Mexico, yet we’re enamored with Putin? What in the world is going on? This is not America. This is an awful nightmare. Somebody wake me up because I’m ready to move forward.”
