Democratic events protesting President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address prompted sharp pushback from conservatives on social media and from Arkansas’ Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said the events painted a sharp contrast between the two parties.
Democrats held several counterprogramming events to Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday, including an event called “State of the Swamp,” where far-left activists, including the Portland Frog Brigade, took to the stage dressed in animal costumes.
“The difference today isn’t between right vs left,” Sanders posted on X in response to a video of activists dressed up in frog costumes alongside Democratic Rep. Maxine Dexter. “It’s normal vs crazy.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sanders added, “Last night, President Trump laid out a vision of a stronger, safer, more prosperous America — and the best counterargument the Democrats could provide were unhinged heckles, refusing to stand to celebrate the accomplishments of patriotic Americans, and a bizarre dress-up show.”
At another point in the event, an activist dressed in a giraffe costume took the stage criticizing ICE and calling Trump “pumpkin spice Satan.”
“They always want to dress in animal costumes… WTF,” Red State’s Jennifer Van Laar posted on X.
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“This is what Democrats are doing instead of attending President Trump’s State of the Union speech,” a Republican National Committee account posted on X. “Democrats are literally hanging out with deranged Leftists dressed in giraffe costumes bragging about getting arrested by ICE.”
“Who is advising the Democrats and how do we make sure they never quit?” conservative commentator Riley Gaines posted on X.
“These people are weird,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted on X.
“They don’t just hate America… they’re mentally ill,” comedian Tim Young posted on X.
Dozens of Democrats boycotted Trump’s speech, with many attending events like State of the Swamp or the People’s State of the Union, which was held in the frigid temperatures outside the Capitol.
“Not one more dime to the Department of Homeland Security until they start following the law in this country,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told a crowd of protesters gathered outside.
The event, organized by MoveOn and co-hosted by the Midas Touch Network, featured a number of House and Senate Democratic lawmakers who opted to skip Trump’s address, which they said would be filled with “lie after lie” and ignore what they described as a country “in crisis.”
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.