Ocasio-Cortez skipping Trump address, will live post instead

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she will not attend President Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress Tuesday night.

She said she will be posting live about the speech on social media instead.

“I’m not going to the Joint Address. I will be live posting and chatting with you all here instead,” the New York Democrat said in a post on the social platform Bluesky.

“Then going on IG Live after,” she added, using a popular shorthand for the social media platform Instagram.

Trump will head to the Capitol for the first joint address of his second term on Tuesday night.

The president is expected to tout his sweeping efforts to reshape the government, crack down on immigration and reorient U.S. foreign policy on the heels of an Oval Office spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The president’s address to Congress is often an opportunity for the minority party to show resistance — either by wearing symbolic garb, by booing at strategic moments or by boycotting the speech altogether.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in a “Dear Colleague” letter Monday, called for Democrats to have a “strong, determined and dignified” presence at the address, but added, “The decision to attend the Joint Session is a personal one and we understand that members will come to different conclusions.”

“However, it is important to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber,” the Democratic leader continued. “The House as an institution belongs to the American people, and as their representatives we will not be run off the block or bullied.”

Jeffries said he and other members of Democratic leadership will attend the speech “to make clear to the nation that there is a strong opposition party ready, willing and able to serve as a check and balance on the excesses of the administration.”

Still, several other Democratic lawmakers said they are planning to skip Trump’s address to Congress — including Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.) and Reps. Becca Balint (Vt.), Gerry Connolly (Va.), Don Beyer (Va.) and Kweisi Mfume (Md.).

Topics

Here are the Democrats skipping President Trump's address to Congress

Several Democrats in both chambers of Congress are planning to skip President Trump’s first address to lawmakers of his second White House term Tuesday night, expected to be a wide-ranging speech ...
The Hill - 4h
US politics live: Donald Trump addresses Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland – as it happened

US president’s 75-minute tirade of repeated false claims ranges from voter fraud and stolen-election lies to foreign wars. This blog is now closed.. Donald Trump launched into his speech by ...
The Guardian - Feb. 22
Watch live: House GOP leaders give remarks ahead of Trump joint address

House Republican leaders are holding a press conference Tuesday morning ahead of President Trump's joint address to Congress and as the shutdown clock is ticking on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers have ...
The Hill - 7h
Live updates: Trump to address Congress as Canada, Mexico lash out over tariffs

President Trump will address Congress Tuesday night against the backdrop of newly levied tariffs on the nation's closest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. The leaders of both nations had sharp ...
The Hill - 2h
Ocasio-Cortez asks DOJ: Am I under investigation?

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wants to know if she’s in legal hot water. In a highly unusual letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Ocasio-Cortez noted that she’s been a target of repeated ...
The Hill - 4d
GOP senator on Ocasio-Cortez: 'Sure seemed like she's violating the law'

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said Monday that it “sure seemed” as though Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) violated the law when she hosted a webinar to inform immigrants of their rights in ...
The Hill - 1d
Trump: Apple should get rid of DEI rules instead of making 'adjustments'

President Trump on Wednesday urged Apple to get rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rules after the tech giant’s shareholders voted down a proposal to scrap its diversity commitments. ...
The Hill - 6d
Multiple Democrats skipping Trump speech, planning alternate event

A group of Democrats is skipping President Trump’s congressional speech Tuesday night and planning an alternate event, according to a press release. The press release from Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) ...
The Hill - 1h
How to watch Trump address to Congress

President Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress for the first time during his second term on Tuesday, outlining the goals of his administration and how he views the state of the ...
The Hill - 10h

More from The Hill

Trump's trade war wallops stock market

The stock market has suffered through a two-day selloff after President Trump went forward with imposing steep new tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Tuesday with ...
The Hill - 23m
GSA identifies hundreds of 'non-core' federal properties amid Trump admin's DOGE cuts

The General Services Administration (GSA) on Tuesday released a list of nearly 450 federal buildings it may seek to sell — including major real estate like the headquarters of the Justice ...
The Hill - 28m
In shift, hardline conservatives signal openness to stopgap to avert shutdown

Hardline House conservatives are signaling an openness to supporting a continuing resolution to keep the government open later this month — a notable shift from their usual stance against stopgaps ...
The Hill - 40m
Booker tells Musk he’s behind social media campaign: Keep your Cybertruck

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Tuesday revealed he was behind a social media campaign involving nearly two dozen Democratic senators after tech billionaire Elon Musk offered a Tesla Cybertruck to the ...
The Hill - 44m
Ben Shapiro launches effort asking Trump to pardon former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin

Conservative media figure Ben Shapiro launched a petition calling on President Trump to pardon former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the 2020 murder of George Floyd. ...
The Hill - 47m