Democrats are scrambling to do damage control after refusing to stand when President Trump asked lawmakers to affirm that their duty is to the American people over illegal immigrants. As many people are already criticizing the party for walking into what many viewed as a carefully laid political trap. With attack ads all but certain to follow, Democrats are now working to reframe the moment and blunt its impact on the 2026 midterm elections.
🚨 JUST IN: Democrats are PANICKING BIG TIME, surging their Congressional members to the Fake News for damage control after they refused to stand for US citizens over illegal aliens at Trump's address
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 26, 2026
REP. MOSKOWITZ (D): "Just because the emperor says rise up doesn't mean I get… pic.twitter.com/EPV75EeAzb
"The president was setting up Democrats in a really simple and easy way," Jason Rantz, a conservative radio host, said. "They shouldn't have fallen for it. It seems pretty easy to stand up and say, actually, no, I support the American people first. That is where I stand. And we can have a nuanced conversation afterwards, if you want, about illegal immigration. But they walked into that trap because it was so easy to set."
"Well, but that's not true. I mean, I stand for Americans over non-citizens, and so do all of my colleagues," Rep. Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, replied. "It's not the Galactic Senate. Just because the emperor says rise doesn't mean I get up. I'm a different branch of government."
"I rose for the heroes that were in the gallery, not because the president told me to rise," he added.
"But not for the other point. I mean, you rose, and thank you for rising," Rantz said. "I think in those cases, this is an easy moment to be united, whether it's around Team USA or it's around any of the people who were featured there. But that's sending a message that you agree with the statement or the sentiment, and you chose not to stand."
"Well, I'm sure if Joe Biden told Republicans to rise, they would have leapt from their seat," Moskowitz replied.
"But to that point, doesn't that happen at every single State of the Union address?" CNN's Abby Phillips asked. "The president says something innocuous. The opposing party doesn't stand. That happens every single year."
Opposition lawmakers declining to stand during a president’s address is nothing new, but this time, President Trump turned that predictable show of dissent into a defining moment. By directly asking members of Congress to rise if they believed Americans should come before illegal immigrants, he created a stark contrast for viewers at home, no matter how the party chose to respond.
Standing could have signaled to their voters that Republicans have seized the upper hand on the issue. Remaining seated, however, carried the greater political risk. It handed Republicans a potent argument that Democrats are unwilling to publicly affirm that their first obligation is to the American people.
NEW GOP AD BLASTS DEMOCRATS WHO SATpic.twitter.com/WWqljjMdS8
— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) February 26, 2026
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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