Some House Democrats say they plan to defy instructions from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) not to protest President Trump during his State of the Union address on Feb. 24.
Why it matters: Even some top progressives and lawmakers who participated in demonstrations at Trump’s speech last year acknowledge it wasn’t their shining moment.
“Last year didn’t really work as envisioned,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told Axios.
Another senior House progressive, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of sensitive internal conversations, said “there’s just a feeling that it wasn’t real effective last time.”
Driving the news: Jeffries told colleagues in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning to either attend the speech with “silent defiance” or skip it, according to multiple senior Democratic lawmakers and aides.
The Democratic leader was frustrated with last year’s disruptions, chewing out some of the most vocal demonstrators behind closed doors.
