WASHINGTON ― On Tuesday night, Democrats in Congress will once again face one of the most mundane tasks in politics: How to channel their constituents’ disgust and outrage with President Donald Trump and his policies during a State of the Union address.

Countering the president ― who has the benefit of being able to talk for an hour or more while you’re expected to sit still ― has proven difficult for members of both parties. Democrats’ efforts in 2025 were mostly met with skepticism or resistance. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) won liberal plaudits and got booted out of the chamber for waving his cane and yelling at Trump, while progressives were panned for the circular signs they passed out with anti-Trump messages. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) made a few headlines for solemnly walking around the chamber with her handwritten message, “This is NOT Normal.”

This year, Democratic leaders are encouraging members to either skip the address or keep their protests low-key, and most members seem inclined to follow their advice. There’s a big rally being held outside the U.S. Capitol, and inside, the most popular form of protest is bringing a guest in one of two categories: a survivor of the late Trump-linked sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, or a victim of violent behavior by federal immigration enforcement officials.

The goal is to keep the focus on the reasons why the American public has sent Trump’s approval ratings to near-record lows, rather than give them a reason to debate Democrats’ behavior.

“The two options that are in front of us in our House [are] to either attend with silent defiance, or to not attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters last week.

Several Epstein survivors will be in attendance. The Justice Department still hasn’t released most of its files on Epstein, despite Congress overwhelmingly passing a law last year requiring it to release all of them. Trump vowed on the campaign trail to release all the files, but promptly reversed course after becoming president. Meanwhile, in the files released so far, Trump’s name appears more than anyone else’s.

“I’m proud to bring Dani Bensky – a New Yorker and survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse – as my guest to the State of the Union to demand the truth,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

“Dani has turned unimaginable pain into unrelenting advocacy, calling on President Trump to release every file and follow the law,” Schumer said. “Trump’s DOJ is stonewalling: slow-walking disclosures, blacking out page after page. That’s not transparency. It’s a cover-up. Period. The powerful don’t deserve protection. Survivors deserve justice.”

Other Democrats bringing Epstein survivors or their family members as guests include Reps. Jamie Raskin (Md.), Robert Garcia (Calif.), Suhas Subramanyam (Va.), James Walkinshaw (Va.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Maxine Dexter (Ore.) and Jeffries.

Lawmakers are also bringing constituents who have been violently detained by Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose Minneapolis district has endured months of trauma amid Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement officers in the city, will host four people who have either been assaulted by ICE agents or who have been fighting to protect immigrant families from them.

One of her guests, Aliya Rahman, is a Bangladeshi-American and a disabled person with autism who was driving to an appointment on Jan. 13 when federal agents smashed in her car window, dragged her out onto the street, and detained her at a federal detention center where she claims she experienced severe medical neglect and violence at the hands of ICE agents, requiring hospitalization for assault.

Schumer, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) are bringing people who were attacked by ICE agents, too. Takano’s guest, 26-year-old combat veteran George Retes, was stopped by ICE agents last year on his commute to work. According to the congressman’s office, the officers smashed his car window, pepper-sprayed him, pinned him down by kneeling on his back and neck, and detained him for three days without charges, access to legal counsel, contact with his family or medical care.

“George Retes is a U.S. citizen and an Iraq War veteran, and yet he was treated like an enemy by his own government,” Takano said in a statement. “His story exemplifies the overreach and cruelty of the Trump Administration… I am honored to have George as my guest at the State of the Union. His presence will speak volumes.”

More than two dozen Democrats are boycotting Trump’s speech entirely, and instead participating in a “People’s State of the Union” rally focused on countering the president’s night of “lies and misplaced priorities.” Their event, hosted by the progressive groups MoveOn Civic Action and MeidasTouch, will take place on the National Mall and feature conversations with regular people who have been hurt by Trump administration policies.

Sens. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Tina Smith (Minn.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Reps. Becca Balint (Vt.), Greg Casar (Texas) and Jayapal are among those skipping Trump’s address to attend the counter rally.

“I will not normalize Donald Trump’s march toward fascism by attending his state of the union address,” Van Hollen said in a statement.

In an effort to make a statement at the State of the Union while also boycotting it, some Democrats are sending guests to Trump’s address without them. Jayapal said it matters that her guest, Marijke Chartouni, an Epstein survivor and constituent, be in the House chamber during Trump’s speech.

“While I will not be attending this year’s State of the Union, I am glad to be hosting Marijke to ensure that survivors of Epstein’s horrific abuse are in the room,” she said in a statement. “This moment should serve as a reminder to elected officials at all levels of government that the fight for truth will not end until the perpetrators and enablers of these crimes are held accountable.”

Dexter, the Oregon congresswoman, is sending Lisa Phillips, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, in her place to attend the State of the Union.

“I’m inviting Lisa Phillips, one of the many brave women who survived Epstein’s abuse, to attend the State of the Union on my behalf,” she said. “Her presence will send a clear message: Epstein survivors will not be silenced. The powerful will not be protected. Our government will be accountable to the people it serves.”

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