In the House, the chamber is evenly divided between the Republican side and the Democratic side. But you wouldn’t know it from Tuesday night’s speech.
There were noticeably fewer Democrats on hand, with several seats appearing to be empty on their side of the aisle. Several Republicans, apparently taking advantage of the open space, even sat on the Democratic side.
Many of the Democratic women who did attend could be seen wearing white, a color associated with the suffragette movement.
Ahead of the speech, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged Democrats to either boycott the speech or sit in silent protest, an apparent effort to avoid the disruptions that marked last year’s speech.
Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont was among dozens of Democrats who opted to attend the “People’s State of the Union” — a rally sponsored by the liberal groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn that was held on the National Mall — instead of the speech.
“I want to be surrounded by positive people who are really thinking about how to bring this country together,” Balint told me. “I cannot normalize this anymore. I just can’t.”
One Democrat who chose to attend, Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, told me before the speech that he believes it’s “important for me to be there to see what the president has to say.”
“People can choose to do what they want, but I feel like it’s part of my job to show up,” Vasquez said.
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