Several Democratic lawmakers appeared to emulate Sleepy Joe Biden by visibly dozing off on live television during President Donald Trumps State of the Union address on Tuesday, turning a solemn constitutional moment into a spectacle of indifference.
Their behavior highlighted not only a lack of basic decorum but also a troubling disregard for the citizens whose tax dollars fund their generous salaries, as reported by Western Journal. Among those caught on camera was Rep. David Scott of Georgia, an 80-year-old congressman who appeared to be in a deep sleep while President Trump spoke directly to the American people about the state of the nation. Another Democrat, Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, briefly stirred only to pick his teeth during the nationally televised address, a gesture that underscored the casual contempt some lawmakers seem to hold for the proceedings.
Suozzi, 63, appeared to concede that he had nodded off, according to Newsday, later posting on X, I have always had a hard time staying awake watching reruns. Veteran Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, 59, was also seen apparently drifting off during the speech, according to the U.K.s Daily Mail, reinforcing the impression of a party that could not be bothered to stay alert while the president addressed the nation.
The Democrats conduct did not improve when the substance of the speech turned to core questions of national sovereignty and public safety. When President Trump asked members of both parties to stand if they agreed that the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens, cameras panning the chamber showed many Democrats remaining firmly seated.
Their refusal to rise sent a stark and unmistakable message: that appeasing illegal immigrants takes precedence over defending the rights and safety of American citizens. Sleeping through the State of the Union is bad enough, but openly signaling support for foreign lawbreakers over ones own countrymen is, to many voters, a moral betrayal and a profound insult to the nation.
In another disturbing moment, Democrats also declined to stand in honor of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was murdered by a repeat criminal out on no-cash bail in North Carolina. How do you not stand? President Trump asked, his disgust evident as he repeated, How do you not stand?
X user Matt Van Swol, who attended the address, said he was stunned by the coldness Democrats displayed toward Zarutskas grieving mother, who wept as the president recounted her daughters fate. Watching Democrats refuse to stand for Iryna Zarutskas parents, who were seated 15 feet away from me, he wrote Tuesday night. May have been the single most radicalizing moment of my life.
I could not believe it. I still cant. I cannot wrap my head around it, Van Swol added, capturing the disbelief of many Americans who watched the scene unfold. From literally sleeping on the job, to signaling preference for illegal aliens over U.S. citizens, to enabling violent crime through soft-on-crime policies like no-cash bail, Democrats once again revealed a radical, upside-down agenda that stands in stark opposition to law, order, and the basic duty of government to protect its own people.
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