In protest of the ongoing damage President Trump is causing to our country, I will not be attending his State of the Union address this year in person. 

Trump has brought shame to our nation’s highest office. He is a convicted criminal, an authoritarian election denier, and an insurrectionist who has been the most destructive president in our nation’s history. He’s assaulting our democracy by threatening to nationalize elections while interfering with state and local administration.

Rather than offering a serious, good-faith report of the pressing issues confronting the nation, Trump will use this sacred occasion for self-promotion and turn it into a political spectacle where he incites division.

Time and again, this President has proven to be an embarrassment on the international stage. He is openly racist in his rhetoric, and someone who views public office as an opportunity to enrich himself, his family, and his billionaire friends. I cannot pay respect to someone who undermines democratic norms, erodes the rule of law, and treats the presidency as a vehicle for his personal gain rather than public service. 

Instead, I will attend the People’s rally with fellow Democrats to raise awareness about how Trump’s Administration is inflicting harm on working families across America with disastrous cuts to health care, an inhumane approach to immigration, and direct threats to voting rights. We must restore balance to ensure that Congress can act as a strong check on any president who wishes to act like a dictator.

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