By SUZANNE DOWNING
The audacity of Democrats to lecture President Donald Trump last week for being rude and disrespectful to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy became even more ridicule-worthy when they threw a kicking-and-screaming temper tantrum during Trump’s speech to the joint body of Congress on Tuesday.
Democratic senators sided with Zelenskyy and condemned Trump and Vice President JD Vance as “shameful” and “disgraceful” last week.
They should know because they set the standard. The bar for decorum has now been set lower than ever. It’s practically as low as British Parliament.
This has been their bad behavior habit for some time, however. During Trump’s State of the Union address in 2018, Democrats booed and jeered. In 2019, they heckled and booed.
And in 2020, not only did they hiss and boo, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in her white suffragette suit, stood up behind Trump and ripped up her copy of his speech, so that the media could take in the full meaning of her intent to humiliate Trump on live camera.
There was a bit of payback from one Republican last year, when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wore a red ball cap that had “Make America Great Again” printed on it. She heckled President Joe Biden during his speech, yelling out “Say her name,” after Biden talked about raped-and-murdered Laken Riley, but who did not use her name. She nearly got the hook, but not quite.
Her outburst it was nothing like this year’s Democrats, who went beyond the “loyal opposition” phase and showed themselves to be “Antifa in a suit.”
On March 4, 2025, throughout the speech by Trump the Democrats held bingo paddles: “FALSE,” “SAVE MEDICAID” AND “MUSK STEALS.”
The bingo paddles — or were they auction paddles? — were far more disruptive than MTG’s red hat ever was in 2024, and the hat almost got her ejected that year.
But even more disrespectful and shameful in 2025 was the shouting, booing, and hissing by the Democrats, some of whom walked out midway through the 100-minute speech.
What viewers heard on the audio on television was only half of the raucous noise being made on the Democrats side of the aisle, where a dozen Democrats were absent and another handful walked out. It was loud in the chamber.
Only one of the Democrats, however, was ejected — Rep. Al Green from Houston, who stood and shook his cane while screaming at the president. Speaker Mike Johnson finally, after a couple of warnings, ordered him to leave and he was escorted out.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas also walked out the chamber after standing up with fellow Democrats who had the word “RESIST” printed on the backs of their shirts.
Rep. Greg Casar of Austin, who was sitting with Rep. Green, held a sign that said “MUSK STEALS” throughout the speech. He might find himself subject to a lawsuit.
This year, Rep. MTG wore a red hat, just like she did last year. Only this time, her hat said “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING.”
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said that in the 13 State of the Union addresses he has been to, Republicans always stood to welcome the guests of the president, whether it was Obama, Trump, or Biden.
But on Tuesday, the Democrats would not stand to recognize the family of Laken Riley, who was murdered by an illegal immigrant in Georgia. Even the Georgia Democrats would not stand for their own constituents.
The Democrats also refused to acknowledge a 13-year-old survivor of brain cancer, who the president introduced and highlighted as an honorary member of the Secret Service, in recognition of the boy’s long-held hopes of becoming a police officer.
In fact, anyone who was there as a guest to be introduced on Tuesday got the silent treatment from the Democrats, many of whom were thumb-scrolling through their X feed on their phones.
The president won the night. The Democrats self-owned and exhibited their worst instincts. But the parallel spectacle of them lecturing Trump about respect and decorum for President Zelenskyy, all while they plotted and planned to disrupt the president’s annual address is the lesson in hypocrisy that America needed to witness to fully understand just how far the Democratic Party has fallen.
Trump broke the Democrats on Tuesday. He knew they came loaded for bear, and he was ready for them. He knows he has nothing to gain by trying to play nice, and everything to lose. There is no time to waste for him.
This time, he simply allowed Democrats to show the public who they really are.
And they did.
Suzanne Downing is founder and editor of Must Read Alaska.
