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WATCH: Democratic lawmakers join 'People's State of the Union' rally during Trump's address. More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers planned to attend the
"People's State of the Union" (youtube link) rally on the National Mall on Tuesday night instead of listening to President Donald Trump's address inside the House chamber. Progressive groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn.org hosted the event, featuring federal workers, immigrants and others affected by Trump's policies, according to a press release. The lawmakers who attended the rally, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, are among a growing group of Democrats who said they wouldn't attend the speech. "Trump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy," the senator wrote on X. "This cannot be business as usual." Standing alongside activists, Democrats argued that Trump's speech would not offer an accurate portrayal of the state of the nation.
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The "State of the Swamp" counter-address, headlined by actor Robert De Niro, is set to take place at the same time the president speaks to a joint session of Congress about the nation's affairs and his policy agenda. Invoking the frog as a symbol of opposition to Trump, the event's title references the swampy terrain of the nation's capital. The
"State of the Swamp" (youtube link) is organized by anti-Trump group Defiance.org, the "artist-activist" coalition Portland Frog Brigade and advocacy media network Courier. "This is not a protest or a watch party," Defiance.org co-founder Miles Taylor said in the statement. "It's a live, public rebuttal." The event will include live music, satire, speeches and direct calls to action, according to organizers.
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In Democratic response to Trump, Abigail Spanberger frames the party's midterm message. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger blasted President Trump's policies and invoked a civic call for Americans to push for better leadership, in
a rebuttal to the State of the Union (youtube link) that offered a preview of how Democrats plan to message against the GOP in this year's midterm elections. "In his speech tonight, the president did what he always does, he lied, he scapegoated and he distracted, and he offered no real solutions to our nation's pressing challenges, so many of which he is actively making worse," Spanberger said.
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The moment Trump's State of the Union speech changed (WashingtonPost analysis). President Donald Trump's State of the Union address took a turn about an hour in. Until that point, Trump largely stuck to a positive message — reciting improving economic indicators, showcasing the Olympic men's hockey team and invoking the nation's 250th birthday. The country was "the hottest," everyone was "winning."
Then he asked for a demonstration to show the television audience where everyone stood — or sat. "If you agree with this statement," he said, "then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens." For more than a minute, Republicans stood and applauded, while Trump shook his head and sighed at the Democratic side of the chamber. The consciously made-for-TV moment from the reality star turned president was destined for shareable online clips and campaign attack ads. It also marked an inflection point in Tuesday's speech, from a first hour whose sunny optimism was more characteristic of Ronald Reagan than Trump, to a second hour that returned the president to the familiar, darker territory of partisan barbs and graphic descriptions of violence. The time for policy disagreements was over. The opposition was "crazy," "sick" and "destroying our country." His microphone was too hot, repeatedly giving static feedback when he raised his voice.
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What is the state of Trump? (Tim Snyder) He is failing at fascism. For Trump to succeed in is fascist transition, he needs a bloody, popular, victorious war. And that is out of his reach. The State of the Union was full of fascist atmospherics. But it was also blowhard exhaustion. Trump's problem is not with idea of fascism. It suits him well. Just consider the atmospherics of last night. Fascism celebrates a leader who transcends law and aims to unites the people with their destiny. It denies truth in favor of grand stories of struggle against a chosen enemy. It posits an imaginary golden age. All of that was in the speech.
Fascism demands a chosen enemy, and victims. Trump called the Democrats in the audience "crazy" and associated them with illegal immigration and crime. The United States is engaged in an enormous cleansing project. ICE raids celebrate physical force in the cities and our concentration camp system is landscape of domination in the countryside. The murder of civilians in Minnesota was greeted by big lies about the victims. All of this is awful. But it is also stasis. Trump is unpopular, the economy is weak. When the government murdered Americans, this did not deter protest.
To actually change the nature of politics, to move beyond the current state of affairs (competitive authoritarianism) to something else, to fascism, Trump needs another kind of conflict. Fascism demands a major foreign war to kill one's own people and thereby generate a reservoir of meaning that could be used to justify indefinite rule and further oppression, to make the world seem like an endless struggles and submission to hierarchy as the only kind of life.
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Team USA's gold medal MAGA celebration was everything the NHL has been trying to avoid (SBNation). In recent years, the NHL has become more aware of what it actually is and less concerned with aspirational fantasy. Hockey will never compete in the United States with football or basketball. There are dozens of socioeconomic and social reasons why, but at its heart, hockey is fundamentally a Canadian winter sport that has been adopted and spread throughout the United States. This is having a phenomenal impact in non-traditional markets, but there's an emphasis here on "non-traditional." Instead of trying to carve off football and basketball viewers, the NHL has been marketing itself to non-sports fans, emphasizing women, supporting the LGBTQ+ community with Pride Nights, and making substantial inroads with Gen Z as a result... In one fell swoop Team USA managed to alienate a huge portion of the current NHL fanbase in the United States, undermine many of the initiatives the league has been trying to make, and turn off the precise segment of the sports market hockey has been trying so desperately to gain.
