On February 24, 2026, the U.S. Capitol became the stage for one of the most tumultuous State of the Union addresses in recent memory. President Donald Trump, now deep into his second term, delivered a speech that was as much a rallying cry for his base as it was a lightning rod for Democratic outrage. From the moment Trump entered the House chamber, a sense of tension hung in the air—one that would soon erupt into open confrontation, heckling, and walkouts, despite repeated pleas from Democratic leaders for decorum.
According to Axios, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) had sternly instructed his caucus to avoid any disruptions. He dismissed reports that protests might still occur, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s widely ridiculed Democratic demonstrations. But his warnings went unheeded. As Trump strode into the chamber, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) immediately mounted a protest, holding up a sign reading “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES”—a direct reference to a racist video Trump’s account had posted earlier in the month. Green’s refusal to sit sparked a confrontation with Republican colleagues, and he was ultimately escorted out by House security, marking the second consecutive year he was removed for such an act.
The first hour of Trump’s address saw most Democrats sitting in stony silence, a strategy reported by Politico as an attempt to maintain discipline. But that resolve crumbled when Trump began to target immigrants and, specifically, Minnesota’s Somali community. Trump’s remarks included calling Somali immigrants “pirates” and accusing blue states, particularly Minnesota, of widespread fraud. He declared, “Democrats should be ashamed,” to which Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), herself a Somali American, shot back, “You should be ashamed!”
As Forbes detailed, Omar repeatedly shouted, “You have killed Americans,” referencing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti—two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis the previous month. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), sitting alongside Omar, joined in, yelling “Liar!” and “Alex wasn’t a criminal!” when Trump accused Democrats of protecting dangerous criminals through sanctuary city policies. The two lawmakers grew increasingly vocal, at one point chanting, “You’re killing Americans,” and eventually left the chamber in protest.
Other Democratic representatives joined the chorus. Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) shouted, “The oath is to protect and defend the Constitution!” while Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) labeled Trump a “tyrant.” Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) rose to her feet, pointing and shouting at the president, though her words were lost amid Republican applause. Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) defied explicit instructions by holding up a placard bearing the faces of Pretti and Good, underscoring the personal stakes of the immigration debate.
Trump, undeterred by the interruptions, doubled down on his rhetoric. He accused Democrats of “blocking the removal of these people out of our country, and you should be ashamed of yourselves.” At one point, he mocked Democrats for refusing to stand and applaud a line about banning gender reassignment surgeries for minors, exclaiming, “These people are crazy! I’m telling you, they’re crazy.”
The president’s speech was also marked by a pointed omission. While he touted his administration’s success in sealing the southern border and deporting undocumented immigrants—claiming, per The New York Times, that 540,000 people had been deported in the past year—he failed to mention the controversial killings of Good and Pretti by immigration agents. Instead, he highlighted the case of Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old killed by an undocumented immigrant, and used her mother’s presence in the gallery as a symbol of his hardline approach.
The backdrop to these heated exchanges was a broader political crisis. The Department of Homeland Security had been partially shut down since February 14, after Congress failed to agree on funding due to deep divisions over immigration enforcement. As Forbes noted, a bill to continue funding DHS failed to pass the Senate the same day as Trump’s address, falling short in a 50-45 vote. Democrats insisted on conditions such as banning masks for federal agents and stronger oversight, while Republicans blamed them for the impasse.
Outside the chamber, the protest took on new forms. According to NBC News, dozens of Democrats boycotted the speech, attending alternative events like the “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall and the “State of the Swamp” at the National Press Club. Some, including Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), said it was more important to stand with those affected by Trump’s policies than to “let him gaslight me for two hours.” Others, like Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), argued that Trump’s speech would not provide an “accurate state of our union.”
The official Democratic response, delivered by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger from Colonial Williamsburg, pulled no punches. She accused Trump of enriching himself and his allies, covering up the Epstein files, and fostering chaos. “There’s the cover-up of the Epstein files, the crypto scams, cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, putting his name and face on buildings all over our nation’s capital. This is not what our founders envisioned, not by a long shot,” Spanberger declared. She also condemned Trump’s deportation tactics, saying, “Our broken immigration system is something to be fixed, not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our communities.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s approval ratings on immigration have hit new lows. A Reuters/Ipsos poll cited by Forbes found only 38% of Americans approved of his handling of immigration, down from 50% at the start of his presidency. Despite a decrease in illegal border crossings—from 29,000 in January 2025 to 6,000 in January 2026—the deaths of Good and Pretti, and the president’s refusal to soften his approach, have fueled public dissatisfaction and galvanized opposition.
Amid all the shouting, sign-waving, and walkouts, one thing was clear: the State of the Union laid bare the deep divisions roiling American politics. The night’s drama was not just about policy, but about the soul of the nation and the very nature of democracy itself. As the dust settles, both sides are left to reckon with what comes next in a country where the lines between protest and governance have never seemed blurrier.