In their latest high-wire circus performance, numerous congressional Democrats have declared that they are boycotting President Trump’s State of the Union address this Tuesday night.
“I have always gone both to inaugurations and to States of the Union. But we cannot treat this as normal. This is not business as usual. I will not give [Trump] the audience he craves for the lies that he tells,” said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is best known for spending years promoting the false and damaging conspiracy theory that Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election. The California senator was hardly the only Democrat to issue a self-recorded, teenage girl-style video announcing his intention to skip the SOTU.
Unfortunately for these leftist lawmakers, nobody outside of their cul-de-sac Karen echo chamber actually cares. If anything, Americans are much more interested in the planned attendance of the U.S. men’s national hockey team, which just beat Canada to secure its first gold-medal Olympic victory in 46 years.
As a quick refresher, Team USA received a congratulatory call from Trump while partying it up in the locker room shortly after sending their neighbors to the north packing. In typical Trump fashion, the president invited the players to attend the SOTU, an invitation they eagerly accepted.
The Team USA players have continued to espouse their love for America and appreciation at Trump’s invitation in the days since — even as propaganda media hacks have not-so-subtly attempted to bully them (and their family members) into distancing themselves from the president.
And therein lies the key difference between the hockey players and Democrats. Whereas the former sees Trump’s invitation as an incredible honor and opportunity to represent their country, the latter views the evening as another avenue to display their hatred for the president and his voters.
For leftists, their “love” of country depends on whether their party is in power. If Orange Man Bad is running the show, then patriotism is viewed as being synonymous with supporting Trump and must be vilified at all costs. (Hence the reason for the leftist-led freakout about Team USA attending the SOTU.)
In case it wasn’t obvious, that’s not patriotism. It’s anti-American degeneracy. And it’s the exact opposite behavior you’re seeing from the U.S. men’s hockey team right now.
These young men accomplished something incredible that few Americans have ever done. From every interview they give and every public appearance they make, it’s evident that they love America and are grateful to be in such a position.
Contrary to loser Democrats (I repeat myself), these players don’t care who’s sitting in the Oval Office. They just want to return the love and joy they’ve received to the Americans who supported them through what many thought was an impossible feat. The State of the Union is another chance for them to do that.
Democrats who skip out on the SOTU based on their hatred for Trump will not be missed. And those who plan to sit in shameful silence rather than acknowledge citizens killed by illegal aliens, victims of leftist violence, and cancer survivors (as they did last year) are more than welcome to join them so congressional leadership can make room for the American athletes who love their country and actually want to be there.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
