Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., called a challenge from President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address “racist” when he asked listeners to stand if they agreed the U.S. should prioritize the safety of its own citizens over illegal aliens.
“If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support,” Trump said.
“The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
Democrats remained seated for over a minute and a half as the Republican side of the chamber burst into prolonged applause.
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After the address, Bynum, who is on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s list of vulnerable Dem incumbents, said the moment made her uneasy.
“I think you can agree with the ‘what’ — like standing up for American citizens,” Bynum said. “But I disagree with the ‘how.’
“There’s thinly veiled racist language, anti-immigrant language in what he was asking, and that was uncomfortable.”
Bynum’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how Trump’s challenge had asked lawmakers to discriminate on the basis of race.
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Trump’s remarks to Democrats Tuesday came as a partial government shutdown drags on over demands Democrats have made to reform the agency at the heart of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Democrats are demanding a set of 10 enforcement reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and won’t vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) until Republicans meet their demands.
DHS, which oversees ICE, went into a shutdown Feb. 14.
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Among other changes, Democrats are looking for a ban on masks, an end to roaming patrols, visible identification and stiffer warrant requirements for arresting illegal aliens in public.
Republicans have dismissed those demands, arguing that Democrats must first pass legislation to restrict “sanctuary cities,” communities that have instructed their law enforcement not to cooperate with federal agents on immigration apprehensions and deportations.
In a press release after the State of the Union address, Bynum, who voted against DHS earlier this year, listed Trump’s framing of his immigration crackdown among her many critiques of the address.
“Tonight, I watched President Trump spend the majority of his speech lying about the state of our economy, demonizing immigrants and spewing more of the same divisive BS. I can’t say I’m surprised,” she wrote.