Latest State of the Union Clash: Democrats Shout, Walk Out and Spotlight Epstein Files as Summers Resigns
WASHINGTON — The latest collapse of decorum unfolded during the State of the Union Tuesday night, as tensions between President Donald Trump and Democratic lawmakers peaked. Lawmakers repeatedly shouted at the president over immigration, allegations of fraud, and the handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related materials, and a separate development about a high-profile university resignation was announced amid the fallout.
Latest flashpoints: immigration, fraud investigations and shouted exchanges
President Trump addressed illegal immigration and a fraud investigation into the Somali community in Minnesota, and declared that Democrats should be "ashamed. " Democratic lawmakers loudly challenged those remarks. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota shouted back that Democrats were being shamed, and Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan at one point yelled that the president was a "liar. " Representative Sarah McBride of Delaware could also be seen shouting during the address.
Heckling, walkouts and a charged gallery
Omar and Tlaib grew louder as the speech progressed. They and other Democrats cried out that the administration's actions had lethal consequences — paraphrased in strong terms as an accusation that Americans had been killed — and later left the House chamber. Representative Norma Torres of California displayed a sign with photos of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, identified in the chamber as two U. S. citizens who were killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis in January.
Al Green ejected; social media video explained the context
Representative Al Green of Texas was ejected from the House floor for the second straight year after he waved a sign that read "Black People Aren’t Apes!" The sign referenced a social media video the president had posted that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. The video was later removed, and the president did not apologize for posting it despite bipartisan condemnation.
Epstein files, guest choices and elevated protest tactics
More than a dozen House Democrats invited survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to be their guests in the chamber, putting pressure on a topic the president has been reluctant to revisit and has urged the country to move on from. During the address, Representative Tlaib demanded the release of files related to Epstein. Other Democrats, including the former House speaker from California, wore pins calling for the administration to release all of the files.
Empty gallery, alternative events and the Democratic response
The Democratic gallery was partially empty as the president delivered what was described as a record-breaking long speech. Dozens of House Democrats participated in alternative events instead: there was a "People's State of the Union" outdoors on the frigid National Mall, and a separate "State of the Swamp" event at the National Press Club near the White House that featured rebuttals from lawmakers and actor Robert De Niro, among others. The official Democratic response was delivered from Colonial Williamsburg by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who sharply criticized the administration and predicted voters would reject what she described as its "chaos" in November.
Spanberger accused the administration of personal enrichment of the president and his circle, described the scale of corruption as unprecedented, and cited a series of alleged problems she said included a cover-up of the Epstein files, crypto scams, and close relationships with wealthy and foreign figures that she said had left the president's name and image prominent throughout the capital. She characterized those developments as far from what the nation's founders envisioned.
University resignation and an unfinished line on deportation tactics
Breaking in the middle of the coverage was an announcement that Larry Summers would resign as a Harvard University professor amid fallout tied to Epstein. The broader narrative about enforcement and removal also included a fragment in the provided context referencing concerns over the president's deportation tactics, but that line is unclear in the provided context and does not include full detail.
These episodes — from heckling and walkouts to guest selections and parallel events — combined into a forceful display of pushback from Democrats who have grown increasingly visible and outspoken during the State of the Union address.
