If there were any lingering doubts on the matter, they were just dispelled in fiery fashion. The record-long Feb. 24 State of the Union address by President Donald Trump, and the palpably hostile Democrat response expressed before, during, and after it, make abundantly clear that his policies and personality will shape and dominate the crucial 2026 midterm elections.
Trump spoke for one hour and 48 minutes as visibly overwrought Democrats were repeatedly caught on camera, with several heckling him along the way. One has to wonder just how much Democrat congressional leaders welcomed the back-and-forth, and who was responsible for much of it.
During his address, Trump accused Democrats of actively fomenting the illegal alien crisis in America, and if he could have hand-selected who would call him out over it, he couldn’t have made a better choice from his point of view. Trump’s words received an emotional rejoinder from one of the most controversial radicals in the blue congressional ranks.
‘You Are a Murderer’
“So, tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens,” the president declared.
“Isn’t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself [for] not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself,” he then scolded Democrats. “That is why I’m also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who blocked the removal of criminal aliens.”
“In many cases, drug lords, murderers all over our country, they’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country. And you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Democrats will certainly not shy away from using Trump’s mass deportation operation against him to rally their base, but did they really want Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to be the nationally televised face of that position before the watching eyes of uncommitted voters?
“You have killed Americans,” Omar shouted at Trump. “You are a murderer,” she was heard saying, referring to the shooting deaths of two anti-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agitators in January as they were seeking to disrupt ICE law enforcement actions in Minneapolis.
This would be the same Mogadishu-born Omar who cameras had earlier panned to as Trump denounced the multi-billion-dollar childcare scandal perpetrated mainly, the evidence suggests, by Somali refugees in Minnesota.
“The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption, and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception,” Trump stated. “Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA. And it is the American people who pay the price in higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes, and perhaps most importantly, crime. We will take care of this problem. We're going to take care of this problem.”
But it wasn’t only Omar. Democrats were repeatedly captured on camera in various states of flummox and frustration. It is inevitable that the president drives the bus during a State of the Union address, but by their every operatic reaction, the angry opposition reinforced to tens of millions of Americans the already widely perceived notion that their agenda is defined by the man they continue to see as an epic villain rather than a mere political rival.
The Madness of King Trump?
In the official Democratic response, newly inaugurated staunchly progressive Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, speaking at Colonial Williamsburg, used the 250th anniversary commemoration of the American Revolution to compare opposing Trump to the Founding Fathers’ rebellion against the British crown.
“The United States was founded on the idea that ordinary people could reject the unacceptable excesses of poor leadership, band together to demand better of their government, and create a nation that would be an example for the world,” Spanberger said. “I can think of no better place to speak to you as we reflect on the current state of our union.”
Everyone knows Democrats’ loathing of Trump runs this deep. The key question is: Will it help or harm them in November? Can Democrats win a purely reactive campaign against this man?
The approach did not serve them well two years ago. Even though a blue president sat in the White House, Trump still managed to completely control the 2024 election narrative. Democrats now appear eager to hand him the same exceedingly useful weapon once again.
But there may be a twist. Does the customary mid-term rebuke to a sitting president tilt this settled playing field their way? Those who believe it may point to fading enthusiasm from Trump’s MAGA base as a reason.
“It’s different now because we’ve had a year in and you’re seeing a break with some of the America-firsters in the MAGA movement, who have been frustrated with the fact that Donald Trump has been focusing a lot of his attention on other places than the United States,” Todd Belt, director of the political management program at George Washington University, told CBS News.
If Democrats indeed believe this to be true, it would seem counterintuitive for them to recharge that sagging base by turning the midterm elections into a bitter and highly inflammatory dirty war.
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