Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez skips Trump’s State of the Union. Who else will boycott?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the latest member of Congress to announce she’ll skip President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
“After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution,” the freshman Democrat from New York City wrote in a Twitter post Tuesday afternoon. “None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it. Consequently, I will not be attending the State of the Union.”
But Ocasio-Cortez suggested she wouldn’t begrudge other senators or representatives who decide differently.
“This is a deeply personal decision for each member to make, and a choice I did not take lightly,” she wrote.
Ocasio-Cortez added that she “will be hopping on Instagram Live later this evening to connect with my constituents and follow up with their questions.”
Other members who have announced their intentions to ditch the yearly speech include Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Frederica Wilson of Florida and Hank Johnson of Georgia, according to The Hill.
“I have chosen not to dignify Trump’s parade of lies about health care, his persistent exaggeration, and his personal attacks with my attendance at this year’s State of the Union Address,” Blumenauer said in a statement, according to The Hill.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts also said on Twitter that she was skipping the speech.
Last year, roughly a dozen Democrats said they were boycotting the president’s address to a joint session of Congress, Time reported.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez skips Trump’s State of the Union. Who else will boycott?."
