Jeffries urged members of his party to choose between 'silent defiance' at Trump's speech or skipping entirely
Video Stephen Colbert rips Hakeem Jeffries' 'silent' SOTU protest as 'bold rebrand of doing jack squat' On Tuesday's episode of ‘The Late Show,’ host Stephen Colbert slammed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' ‘silent’ State of the Union protest guidance as a ‘bold rebrand of doing jack squat.’
On Tuesday's broadcast of "The Late Show," host Stephen Colbert tore into House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., over his guidance for a "silent" protest of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address as a "bold rebrand of doing jack squat."
"For Democrats who did attend [the State of the Union], Hakeem Jeffries urged members not to make a scene. An approach he dubbed ‘silent defiance’ – which I believe is a bold rebrand of doing jack squat," Colbert said.
"As Martin Luther King once said, ‘Shhhh,’" he added, displaying a mock quote from Dr. Martin Luther King.
Colbert mocked Jeffries' "silent defiance" of Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday. (Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Prior to Tuesday's State of the Union, Jeffries asked members of his caucus to approach the State of the Union in one of two ways.
"The two options that are in front of us [are] to either attend with silent defiance or not to attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion," Jeffries said at a press conference last week.
Several Democrats decided to attend the "People's State of the Union" event held near the Lincoln Memorial instead of Trump's address held at the U.S. Capitol.
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The event, described as a rally, was organized by MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action, a pair of left-leaning media and activist groups, and focused on criticisms of Trump’s first year back in office.
The event drew senators like Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; and Tina Smith, D-Minn.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., speaks onstage at the People's State Of The Union Rally in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)
On the House side, Democrats who said they'd be in attendance included Reps. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz.; Becca Balint, D-Vt.; Greg Casar, D-Texas; Veronica Escobar; D-Texas, Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; John Larson, D-Conn.; Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif.; Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.; Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.; Emily Randall, D-Wash.; and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
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Earlier in the show, Colbert touted those members of the Democratic Party who opted out of attending the president's address.
"One of the big stories tonight was who wasn't there. Roughly 50 Democratic members of the House and Senate plan to forgo the speech," he noted, citing The Wall Street Journal. "I wish we were one."
"The folks who skipped included Sens. Chris Murphy, Ed Markey, and Jeff Merkley, as well as ‘Merk Manly-Manly Merken.’ Mork and Mindy, Marky Mark and Megan Markle," Colbert joked.
A smaller group of Democrats previously announced that they would be skipping the State of the Union but would not be attending the counter event, including Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., walks down the House steps after the final votes of the week in the U.S. Capitol Sept. 14, 2023. (Will Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital's Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
Senate Dem says he left the State of the Union address because he couldn't endure 'hours of Trump's lies' Related Topics MediaStephen ColbertState of the UnionLate Night if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('desktop', 'ban1', 'desktop-desk-ad-ban1', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } if (window && window.foxstrike && Array.isArray(window.foxstrike.cmd)) { window.foxstrike.cmd.push(function(Strike) { Strike.insertAd('desktop', 'ban2', 'desktop-desk-ad-ban2', ''); }); } else { console.error('Error: window.foxstrike not found'); } Fox News First Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
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