Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) decided to skip Donald Trump’s address to a joint session on Congress because he wasn’t going to say what she wanted to hear. It was an act of protest to his policies, though MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt reported that some members of her party tried to persuade her to attend. Some female congressmen wore white to send a protest message from inside the Capitol building. ABC News also reported that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, behind closed doors, told members to be on their best behavior [emphasis mine]:
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee, told House Democrats at a caucus meeting this morning that she will not attend the speech because she doesn't think she will be able to control herself, according to Democrats who attended.
"The president is not going to say what I want him to say," Waters told ABC News in an interview after the meeting. "He's going to take credit for everything."
Waters has emerged as one of Trump's loudest critics on Capitol Hill. She has called his team a "bunch of scumbags" and said he is "leading himself" to impeachment.
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California said not to expect any outbursts during the speech, telling MSNBC that the "House Democratic caucus will be very dignified."
During a closed door meeting with House Democrats Tuesday, Pelosi urged her colleagues to be on their best behavior, saying they should not be "out-classed" by Donald Trump, according to her office.