Minnesota's outgoing junior U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D) says she will not attend President Trump's State of the Union Address on Tuesday night.
That drew reaction from Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig (D) who is running in 2026 for Smith's seat.
"I would rather stick forks in my eyes than actually be at the State of the Union here tonight myself, so I'm not going to judge another member of Congress," Craig says.
Smith will instead be attending a rebuttal event orgranized by MoveOn. She is bringing Brenda Lewis, superintendent of Fridley Public Schools, to the “People’s State of the Union."
Sen. Smith is far from the only Democrat skipping the speech. Dozens of lawmakers are attending either the "People's State of the Union" or another alternative event called “State of the Swamp” at the National Press Club. Some plan to attend both an alternative event, and the State of the Union.
There are some that are skipping it entirely, and planning to just watch the speech "elsewhere." But, Craig adds she will be at the Capitol.
"I'm going because I think Donald Trump needs to face the people that he has harmed in this country, and Angel Ortiz will be my guest tonight at the State of the Union," Craig explained.
Angel Ortiz's mother was detained by ICE agents while in court seeking legal residency. The woman had been in the U.S. for 27 years, and Craig says she was forced to self-deport.
Craig told WCCO's Vineeta Sawkar that she feels the state of the U.S. is perilous at this time, but noted the reaction of Minnesotans to the federal government's immigration crackdown, Operation Metro Surge, shows that 'democracy is not dead.'
"What gives me hope is that democracy itself may save democracy, and that means regular people getting off the sidelines, getting involved, pushing back, fighting back," Craig said. "You know, not a single politician is going to save this country among itself. It's going to take all of us in this fight."
Trump will deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term. Priorities for the Republican's administration have centered largely on the economy, immigration, crime, energy and national security.
Trump has spent the last year touting his accomplishments while mocking the record of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
The speech is likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters in November's elections for control of the House and the Senate.
The president and his party appear vulnerable, with polls showing much of America distrusts how Trump has managed the government in his first year back in office. In addition, the Supreme Court last week struck down one of the chief levers of his economic and foreign policy by ruling he lacked the power to impose many of his sweeping tariffs.
Though Trump is expected to focus on domestic issues, his intensifying threats about launching military strikes on Iran over its nuclear program cast a shadow over the address.