Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib heckled President Donald Trump at several moments during Tuesday’s State of the Union address, most notably after he equated Somali immigrants living in Minnesota to pirates.
“When it comes to the corruption that is plundering America, there is no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer,” Trump said during his joint address, calling them “the Somali pirates that ransacked Minnesota.”
“That’s a lie, and you’re a liar,” Omar yelled in response.
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Tlaib, of Michigan, who sat next to Omar throughout the address, also shouted that Trump has killed Americans — an apparent reference to the two Minnesota residents shot and killed by federal agents in separate incidents earlier this year.
“You’re shooting them,” Tlaib said, pointing a finger gun at Trump. “You’re killing Americans.”
Omar echoed the sentiment, saying: “You have killed Americans.”
Trump did not pause or address Omar’s and Tlaib’s shouts, and the pair left the chamber about 10 minutes later — while Trump was still speaking. The duo was also joined by a number of other Democrats who erupted at Trump’s taunts — including Rep. Sarah McBride, who shouted “You should be ashamed of yourself,” in response to Trump’s jab about Minnesota fraud.
“The Epstein files … release them!” Tlaib added at another point.
The public displays of opposition seemed to fly in the face of instructions handed down by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier this week. In preparation for the historic annual address, Jeffries encouraged Democrats to avoid heckling or other forms of visible protest.
“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, which will include participation in a variety of different alternate programming that is going to take place in and around the Capitol complex,” Jeffries told reporters.
On the National Mall, Democrats hosted a counter-address attended by nearly three dozen lawmakers.
The Democrats who chose to attend Trump’s address mainly held to Jeffries’ request, appearing stone-faced and serious throughout the event. At the beginning of the evening, Rep. Al Green was escorted from the House chamber — for the second year in a row — after displaying a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes.”
As Trump described his efforts to “end nearly eight wars,” Democrats could also be heard laughing.
“It’s a lie,” Tlaib yelled. “What are you talking about?”
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