AUSTIN, Texas — Not every lawmaker was in the room as President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
U.S. Reps. Greg Casar and Jasmine Crockett were among dozens of Democrats who skipped the speech, choosing instead to attend a separate “People’s State of the Union” event on the National Mall.
Trump struck an optimistic tone during his address.
“You’ve seen nothing yet,” he said. “We’re going to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America.”
As the president spoke about issues including the economy and tariffs, Casar addressed supporters in Washington, explaining his absence from the chamber.
“I am not in the Capitol building tonight because I have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen,” Casar said. “He’s going to tell us that the state of the union is strong. Strong for who?”
Andy Hogue with the Travis County GOP said the Democrats’ decision to boycott underscores political tensions.
“This isn’t about retail politics right now. This is about actually getting things done for the country,” Hogue said. “Just simply walk out on our elected president? That shows a lack of maturity.”
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U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, an Austin Democrat, attended the address but voiced criticism of the president.
“I don’t think that the floor of the people’s house should be yielded to Trump and his enablers,” Doggett said.
Doggett also noted the speech coincided with four years since Russia invaded Ukraine, arguing Trump has not delivered on past promises to resolve the conflict.
“I believe that Trump has stood in the way of a resolution of a war that he said he would fix in one day, would only take him 24 hours to solve,” Doggett said.
In Central Texas, some voters said they are focused less on the rhetoric and more on what follows.
“Something about what our future looks like?” said Justin, a local voter. “I want to hear his major policy plans and for Congress to follow through on that.”