There were a few empty seats Tuesday night during President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress. Here’s who skipped the event:
Rep. Maxine Waters
Surprisingly, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was the only congressional democrat who refused to attend the event. According to ABC News, Waters said she didn’t think she’d be able to “control herself” during the speech.
“The president is not going to say what I want him to say," Waters told ABC News. "He's going to take credit for everything.”
While no other Democrat member of Congress skipped the address, the group protested the president in other ways. Some wore white, many refused to stand or clap, others groaned (and one even hissed) when Trump said something they didn’t like.
Prior to the event, Democratic leaders urged their colleagues to be respectful and dignified during Trump’s address. They failed.
Justice Clarence Thomas
Justices are not required to attend such events, so it's not a huge deal when one doesn’t show. According to The Washington Post, Justice Clarence Thomas stopped attending during Obama’s presidency. While his wife was a fierce supporter of Trump during the election, Thomas still chose to skip Tuesday night.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.
Similarly, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has not attended a presidential address since the Obama era. In fact, he stopped going after the former president criticized the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC during his 2010 State of the Union address.
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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Unlike Justices Thomas and Alito, “Notorious RGB” did not miss one of Obama’s speeches. While Justice Ginsburg did not comment on why she skipped Trump’s address Tuesday night, it’s not hard to figure out why. Ginsburg is no fan of the new president and publicly criticized Trump during the election, despite justices’ obligation to remain unpartisan and impartial.
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