People's State Of The Union Draws Dozens of Democrats — National Mall Rally Puts Federal Workers, Immigrants and Activists at the Forefront

The People's State Of The Union mattered first to the communities who were invited to speak: federal workers, immigrants and others affected by presidential policies. More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers planned to attend the National Mall rally on Tuesday night instead of listening to President Donald Trump's address inside the House chamber, making the protest a deliberate shift in who was given prominence that evening.

People's State Of The Union: immediate impact on communities and lawmakers

Organizers centered people directly affected by policy choices rather than the formal speech inside the chamber. Progressive groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn. org hosted the event and said it featured federal workers, immigrants and other impacted individuals. Standing alongside activists, lawmakers framed the rally as a platform to amplify lived experience rather than normalize the president’s message on the House floor.

How the counter-events unfolded

The National Mall gathering kicked off about an hour before the president's speech was scheduled to begin and drew hundreds, including roughly 30 Democratic members of Congress at the counter-rally. Separate events occurred across Washington that evening, including gatherings at the National Press Club where politicians and some celebrities were present. Organizers and speakers argued these competing events were intended to show opposition to the president’s agenda.

Voices, interruptions and public gestures

Speakers and attendees used visible messaging and chants: signs included messages such as "No Money for ICE" and "Healthcare Not Warfare, " while the crowd chanted "Abolish ICE!" and later broke into "The people united will never be defeated. " One person on stage carried a poster showing photographs of more than 30 people said to have been killed in dealings with ICE since the president took office in 2025.

Moments of confrontation occurred: a Trump supporter pushed through barricades and confronted Sen. Chris Murphy while he was on stage; an organizer removed the heckler as the crowd booed. Host Joy Reid addressed the interruption directly. What's easy to miss is that those moments—both the chants and the confrontations—shaped the rally's tone as much as the scheduled speakers did.

Attendance, organizers and named participants

More than two dozen lawmakers who planned to attend included Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen; separate coverage listed about 30 lawmakers who were boycotting the official address and named Murphy, Chris Von Hollen of Maryland, Adam Schiff of California and Rep. Greg Casar of Texas. Sen. Chris Murphy introduced Afghan refugee and immigrant advocate Fereshteh Ganjavi as his guest and said he was not at the State of the Union because "these are not normal times" and because the president's speech would not reflect the real state of the nation. Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania took the stage as attendees chanted "Release the files!" and a protester held a sign reading "Release ALL the Files. " Summer Lee also said she planned to introduce articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi for refusing to comply with a subpoena to release full unredacted Epstein files.

Celebrities Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo were among those gathered at the National Press Club. MoveOn's executive director Katie Bethell addressed attendees about the decision to organize and boycott the official address. A Palestinian activist, Mohsen Mahdawi—who was targeted by the administration for deportation in 2025—initiated a chant and asked the crowd to repeat a message directed at the president and his cabinet.

Correction and editorial notes: a prior item misidentified Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen as a congressman; that text has been corrected and the error was regretted.

Reach, reactions and related activity

Organizers said the rally was available to watch in event streams and just before 9pm ET there was an estimated 220, 000 live viewers on YouTube and other platforms, a MoveOn spokesperson provided. More than two hours into the rally the crowd remained energized. Meanwhile, a Democratic response to the State of the Union was delivered by Gov. Spanberger.

Here’s the part that matters: the decision by lawmakers to skip the formal chamber and stand on the Mall shifted attention away from the scripted speech and toward the people and issues highlighted on stage.

• More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers planned to attend the National Mall rally rather than listen inside the House chamber.
• Progressive groups MeidasTouch and MoveOn. org hosted the People's State Of The Union and said it featured federal workers, immigrants and others affected by the president's policies.
• About 30 members of Congress were counted among attendees at the counter-rally; named lawmakers in coverage included Sen. Chris Murphy, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Chris Von Hollen, Adam Schiff, Rep. Greg Casar and Rep. Summer Lee.
• Speakers and attendees used chants and signs—"Abolish ICE!", "No Money for ICE", "Healthcare Not Warfare", and calls to "Release the files!"—and a poster displayed photos of more than 30 people said to have died in dealings with ICE since 2025.
• Estimated live viewership just before 9pm ET was about 220, 000 on YouTube and other platforms; the rally began roughly an hour before the president's speech.

Coverage contributors included Lisa Desjardins, Liz Landers, Deema Zein, Josh Boak, Michelle L. Price, Louis Jacobson, Amy Sherman, Will Weissert and Michelle L. Price. Subscribe prompts and newsletter logistics were part of the broader presentation that accompanied coverage: a subscription call encouraged generous monthly contributions to help secure the outlet's future, and readers were asked to check their inboxes to confirm newsletter sign-ups.

The real question now is whether this pattern—lawmakers opting for public rallies that center affected communities over attendance inside the chamber—will change how future addresses are staged or covered. The answer remains unclear in the provided context.