Some Democrat lawmakers appear ready to ignore advice from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to avoid disrupting or drawing attention away from President Donald Trump's addresses to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
There were indelible memories of Democrat "resistance" during Trump's addresses to Congress in his first term — lawmakers boycotting, booing, walking out, and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up her copy of Trump's 2020 speech behind his back.
Now it appears a clash is brewing between party traditionalists and members of the anti-Trump wing, who are discussing options that include outright disruption to protest the speech, Axios reported.
"The part that we all agree on is that this is not business as usual, and we would like to find a way — productively — to express our outrage," a House Democrat told Axios.
Some members have told colleagues they might walk out of the chamber when Trump mentions specific lines that they find objectionable, with criticism of transgender children being a line in the sand that could trigger members to storm out, a House Democrat told Axios.
Signs displaying messages against Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency have been discussed, similar to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., holding a sign that read "war criminal" during Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress last year.
Other measures of protest include eggs or empty egg cartons to reflect a recent spike in the price of eggs; pocket Constitutions to make the case that Trump has been violating it by shutting down congressionally authorized agencies; hand clappers; and red cards, like those held up to express disagreement at town halls.
In closed-door meetings and on the House floor Monday night, lawmakers were discouraged from using props, two House Democrats told Axios.
"There are definitely a lot of constituents that really want Democrats to disrupt and there are ... constituents who feel like that just plays into his hands," a House Democrat told Axios.
Some groups of Democrats plan to mount more traditional protests through the use of color coordination in their wardrobes, according to Axios. The Democratic Women's Caucus wants all its members to wear pink, and female members of the Congressional Black Caucus have separately discussed donning black to capture the party's somber mood.
Also, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, will distribute ties and scarves with the colors of Ukraine's flag to signal support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Private guidance sent to Democrat lawmakers and obtained by Politico urged them to coalesce around a message that "Democrats are on the side of the American people while Trump and Republicans in Congress stand with Elon Musk and billionaire donors." They also are being urged to "bring a guest who has been harmed by the Trump administration's early actions or will be hurt by the House Republican budget."