Democrats Have No Answer for Trump

President Donald Trump steamrolled Democrats in his first speech to a joint session of Congress since returning to the White House, leaving the minority party looking disorganized, impotent and frankly pathetic.

Democrats have had no good answer to Trump’s flurry of executive actions and dominance of the news cycle in his first six weeks in office. Their unfocused, directionless opposition to everything the president does ensures that their scattered messages get drowned out by the firehose of daily news coverage. That happened again on Tuesday night.

Some Democrats boycotted the speech. Others glowered in silence. Still others walked out. Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas shouted out at the president until House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered Green removed from the gallery. Others, in silent protest, held up paddles printed with disconnected messages ranging from “Protect Veterans” and “False” to “Save Medicaid” and “Musk Steals.” Late-night comic Stephen Colbert joked that the cacophony of mixed messages on paddles looked like a chaotic bingo game.