President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated 2019 State of the Union address is set to happen at 9 p.m. ET tonight. While the theme for this year’s address is “unity,” not everyone is planning on attending. Several representatives have opted to boycott the State of the Union, while others have chosen to protest it in other ways.
The speech was originally slated to happen last month but was delayed thanks to the federal government shutdown after a very public spat between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trump.
Here are those who plan on boycotting Trump’s State of the Union address tonight:
Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
“I will not attend the State of the Union once again this year. I’ll come to the House Chamber for the State of the Union the next time I can hear from a president who will tell the truth about the State of the Union,” Cohen told The Hill.
I'll be joining @RepJohnLewis and others in boycotting the #SOTU. I’ll come to the House Chamber for the State of the Union when I can hear from a president who will tell the #Truth. I’ll watch on TV, Trump’s preferred medium, although I won’t be his audience, his believing base. Https://t.co/ZC6coCNpHl
— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) February 4, 2019
Cohen has previously called for Trump’s impeachment.
Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)
Blumenauer skipped last year’s State of the Union address, and has decided to opt out of this year’s address as well.
“The thought of spending Tuesday night in the House Chamber listening to the reckless, self-centered man who occupies the White House holds no interest for me. Just like in past years, I plan to skip a speech that will be filled with lies, deception and divisiveness,” he said in a statement.
In his place, he invited Nate Mook, the executive director of World Central Kitchen.
Although I won’t be at the #SOTU I’ve invited @natemook in my place.
Nate is the executive director of @WCKitchen, an organization founded by @chefjoseandres that provides millions of meals for those in need, like Hurricane Maria survivors & furloughed federal workers.
— Earl Blumenauer (@repblumenauer) February 5, 2019
John Lewis and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)
Both John Lewis and Hank Johnson from Georgia will be skipping this year’s State of the Union address.
“I have a problem with defiling the speaker’s chair in the House of Representatives,” Johnson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I don’t want to see it lowered, as is what happens when Donald Trump comes to our floor and starts talking about groups of people, particularly Latinos, and disparaging them as a people.”
Lewis skipped the address last year after Trump’s comments about “sh*thole countries.”
Meet Samantha Ramirez-Herrera, my guest for the #StateOfTheUnion & CEO & Founder of https://t.co/lBt9mEaXkd. She's a #DREAMER. #DACA recipients like Samantha are our friends, neighbors & colleagues — they are a part of our community & their story is #OurHispanicSOTU. Pic.twitter.com/UseHIyZ8N0
— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) February 5, 2019