House Speaker Mike Johnson Condemns Democrats’ ‘Shameful’ Actions During Trump’s State of the Union Address

By Alex Chen | Wednesday, 25 February 2026

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., stated on Wednesday that congressional Democrats exhibited “shameful” conduct during President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night State of the Union address.

Johnson described Democratic behavior in the chamber as including yelling remarks at Trump while he spoke and wearing protest-themed clothing. He noted that several Democrats failed to attend the session.

“I probably could have ejected [some] from the chamber because of their behavior,” Johnson said. “But the president handled it so well, and I decided not to do that because I thought it would be better for the American people to see that — to see the shame that they were bringing upon themselves.”

Johnson added that Democrats’ actions formed a recurring pattern: “They stood at the wrong times, and they refused to stand when they should have.” He criticized their support for voting against working families tax cuts, stating, “So they voted to impose the largest tax increase in history on the American people, and they clapped for themselves.”

Johnson said Democrats’ conduct provided significant material for Republican campaign messaging ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. “That video is going to be very valuable to us in the future,” he stated.

He also noted that Democrats refused to stand when Trump posed a question: “Answer this simple question: The first job of the government in the country is to defend Americans and not illegal aliens.” Johnson said they “sat on their hands” for that question.

“Their actions and words speak loudly to the American people, and their record is as shameful as their antics tonight,” Johnson added. “We, on the other hand, have a record of success.”

Johnson further remarked that while Trump and Republicans made progress, more time was needed to turn the tide: “We inherited an absolute disaster from the Biden-Harris administration. Every metric of public policy was a mess.” He stated, “We went to work immediately on day one, and we delivered for the people. We’ll continue to do that.”

Johnson also cited President Trump’s recent comment describing the first year of his second term as a “turnaround for the ages.”