Good evening, everyone. I'm Katie Bethel, and I'm the Executive Director of MoveOn. MoveOn is one of the largest progressive advocacy organizations in the country. We're a force of millions with members in every congressional district in America. And on behalf of our members and our co-hosts, the MIDAS Touch Network, it is my privilege to welcome you to the People's State of the Union. Some of you may know that giving a State of the Union address, or at least a report, is part of the job of the president. It's constitutionally required. So in a great shift, Donald Trump is following the law tonight. So why are we boycotting? Why are we boycotting the State of the Union? We're boycotting because we know that Donald Trump's State of the Union will bear no resemblance to what's actually happening in this country today. He will lie, distort, and ignore the real stories. He's not going to talk about the killings of innocent people. He's not going to talk about the thousands of people who are afraid every day because of ICE roaming their streets. He's not going to talk about the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. And he will not talk about the millions of people who've lost their health care on his watch.
But move on, members. The millions of people who've been protesting at no King's protests, the American people, we know the true state of our union. We've seen it and we're living it. And it is not normal. We have asked our leaders this last year, don't treat this like business as usual. Fight for us. Folks, tonight we're coming out swinging. And we're making history with the largest organized boycott of any state of the union ever. Behind me on this stage are members of Congress and their guests who have all personally experienced the harms of the Trump administration. They represent millions more. They represent all of us. I want to personally thank our members of Congress here tonight for your act of defiance, for breaking a norm to stand up stand up for our values. And I want to thank our special guests who you're going to hear from tonight for your courage. You represent the best of America and you make us all want to be brave. This moment is only possible because of people's bravery. The first boycott of the State of the Union was conducted by the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus. During the Nixon administration.
We honor their example. We honor the millions of patriots who've turned out over the last year in marches across this country. And we honor every person who showed up, who's risked something, who's cared for a neighbor, even when it was safer to do nothing. That courage led the way to this moment, but we have to make sure that the road doesn't stop here. We need you, everybody joining us here on the Capitol Mall tonight, and everybody watching online, come to the March 28th no Kings Protest and stand up for this country. Before I introduce our hosts for tonight. I just want to give a special thanks to all of the people behind the scenes who helped to make tonight happen. MoveOn staff, the staff who serve our congressional representatives and senators here tonight, our partners, thank you so much. This is no small task to put on a historic event to fight for our country. Thank you. And now, I'd like to introduce you to our hosts, independent journalists Joy Reid and Katie Phang. And while they come to the stage, I want to thank you for being here. I want to thank you for being brave.
And I want to thank you for being a part of building the America we can all be proud of. Thank you. Welcome. Yay.
Well, hi.
Well, hello there. Hello, everybody. Good evening, everyone. Are you guys excited to be here? Let's hear it. And not in there. That's right. Come on. I am Joy Reid, host of the Joy Reid Show. And I'm Katie Fang, host of the Katie Fang News Channel. And we are both exes of the artist formerly known as MSNBC. We are so excited to be here. Please give one more round of applause to these members of Congress. Yes, let's hear it. They had the courage to not be here. So, Katie, the reason that I am so excited to be here is that, as we just heard from the wonderful folks at MoveOn and Midas Touch, please give them a round of applause. Please. It takes courage to stand out. It does. And look, if you turn around and you look amongst us. It's not just the people that are here. It's hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people in the United States and across the world that are defending democracy. But they need the courage and the bravery of our members of Congress and our electeds to make sure that democracy is defended. Indeed. And so tonight we are not going to hear a false state of the union.
We are going to hear the true state of our union. From the people who are being impacted by the policies that are taking place at the hands of someone who has demonstrated no love for the Constitution, for the truth, or for the care and concern of the American people. It's much more important to hear what people are truly facing and going through. That's what you're going to hear tonight. The American people deserve the truth. They do not need more lies from this regime. So tonight you are going to hear people that have been impacted directly by the bullshit of this administration. Amen. And because I'm also a church girl. Sorry Joy for my language. Oh no, I'm a cussing Christian sis. It's all good. I'm a cussing Christian. But we want to start off this night by doing something that I think is so important, Katie. And that is reclaiming the Christian voice from white Christian nationalism, which not only threatens our freedom, but also threatens a very important faith throughout this world. Christianity is not what you have been sold by Project 2025. So right now, to do our invocation, meaning we're going to invoke the spirit of freedom, liberty, and justice, please put your hands together.
For the Reverend Paul Brandeis RoushEnbush.
Thank you, Joy and Katie. Hello, everybody. Hello, America. Let me start by saying that my soul is so glad to be here with the people's state of the union. I come to you as the president of Interfaith Alliance and as a Baptist minister with good news. We, the people, have the power. Is that good news? All across America, people of diverse faiths and beliefs are showing up, are speaking out. And are proving that love for our neighbors and commitment to our democracy will prevail against the cruelty, immorality, and authoritarianism of this administration. Let me speak plainly as an American and as a Baptist minister. The Trump administration is the most hostile to religious freedom in generations. They attack any religious leader or community not in lockstep with their political agenda. The White House, the Pentagon, the Department of Justice, and ICE have weaponized religion for their white Christian nationalist crusade, which attempts to define who is a true American, conveniently made in their own image, and relegate all the rest of us to second-class status. While President Lincoln famously prayed to be on God's side. Trump instead blasphemously boasts that God is in fact on his side.
In Trump's mind, God is little more than a divine mascot for his political team. But enough about that unpopular man. Tonight we will focus and celebrate the We, the People of America. Tonight we will recognize all those to whom harm has been done, but we will also give thanks for the brave witness of the faith and community leaders in Minnesota. In Chicago, in Charlotte, in Portland, and here in Washington, D.C. and in towns large and small, everywhere across America, who are standing up against the abuse and inhumanity of ice. We give thanks for every single person around this country who has put their faith or values into action by resisting Government sanctioned cruelty with moral courage and solidarity with our neighbors from every background. We give thanks to God for the power and the promise of love and what Dr. King called the beloved community that is both coming and present now. If we choose to make it real in our democracy. I believe we are in the midst of the next great awakening in America, a spiritual movement dedicated to creating a nation where every person has dignity and value, where every community and faith tradition is treated equally, and nobody gets left behind this time.
We the people have the power out of many through love. May we be one, my friends. The spiritual state of our union is strong. So help us God, amen.
Now y'all should be well in the spirit at this point. Is everybody in the spirit? That's what I'm talking about. That's right. We're gonna call the spirit of our ancestors to make sure that we do justice on tonight. And we are gonna start with one of the true fighters in the United States Senate and his very important guest. So please put your hands together for Senator Chris Murphy and... Faris T. Gondy. Thank you.
Good evening, America. I want you first to give a big round of applause to my guest, refugee and immigrant advocate from Connecticut, Farish Day Gonjave. Speech tonight because Donald Trump is making a mockery of this great institution and he doesn't deserve an audience. I'm not at the State of the Union speech tonight because these are not normal times and Democrats have to stop behaving normally. And I'm not at the State of the Union speech tonight because you're not going to hear about the State of the Union. You are going to hear lie after lie. You are going to hear attack after attack. You are going to see grandstanding, the true state of the union is this. This union is in crisis right now. By lawless law enforcement, our democracy is wilting under ceaseless attack from a president who wants to be a despot. Millions of Americans are losing their health care because the president has chosen corruption to pad the pockets of his billionaire friends Instead of helping average Americans, you're not going to hear any of that in that speech tonight. But by being here for the People's State of the Union, you are going to hear the real story of America.
A story of an America that is under siege, but a story of America that is not going to take it, that is going to fight back, and is going to reclaim this country for everything that is good and right about the United States of America. Fairness Day is going to talk to you tonight about the state of immigrant and refugee America. ICE is out of control. It is disappearing legal immigrants. It is tear gassing elementary schools. It is murdering American citizens. Right now, as you know, the Department of Homeland Security is shut down. And I just want to be very clear with you about my position and I think the position of many others who will stand on this stage tonight. Not one more dime for the Department of Homeland Security until they start following the law in this country. Fairness Day came to this country over a decade ago. Coming to the United States from a refugee camp. She told me just off stage that this is the moment, this is the reason that she came here to the United States to speak truth to power, to explain the trials and tribulations that every immigrant and every refugee goes through to get here, and to press this country I stuck in the border.
Go Trump. Go Trump. Thanks, man. Thanks, buddy. Listen, guys, Fair Day is here to lift us up to a common purpose and to a common goal to understand that the best of America lies in how we treat those who have arrived to this country fleeing terror and torture and desperation. We have work to do, guys. We have a mission that we need to complete. And I want you to welcome to the podium my friend Faris Deacon Jave.
Good evening, everyone. Since arriving in the United States as a refugee in 2011, I have educated more than 7,000 refugees, especially women entering the workforce, now thriving as educator, health worker, and essential service providers, each becoming a lighthouse for others. Partnering with over 100 universities across the country and help young students launch career in embassies, public services, leadership programs, and intern to the top medical and law schools. For years, I advocated for immigration rights. I founded Elena's Light, an organization to support families in Connecticut. And I'm proud of work over the years that we did. Thank you. I'm here today now standing next to my favorite senator. Senator Murphy, to speak with the voice I'm so proud of. Since the recent election, my phone has not stopped ringing. Mothers have called me asking, It is safe to go to my child's appointment? Women have asked if they should cancel English classes. Afghan families and many immigrant families are confused about their legal status and afraid to travel for work, even within their own states. Fear is not abstract. It is in our classrooms. It is in our clinics. It is in our homes. Families feel unstable.
We are living in uncertain society these days. Because of this advocacy in Connecticut has shifted. Organizations on the ground like ours are spending more time on Know youw Rights training. Policies are shifted quickly and we must help families with rapid response needs, preparing families with documentation for when their family members get kidnapped, and working closely with legal and health partners to support families struggling after Trump's healthcare cuts. But as hard as we try, We cannot replace health insurance. That our elderly, our children, our people with disability can no longer access. We cannot guarantee safety or peace of mind for the worker who keep our communities running every day. This administration needs to stop separating families. Mothers, kids, and our future generation who will become our caretaker, our lawyers, our teachers, and our politicians. Our community members need safety and peace of mind to work. Leadership matters at the federal level. We need real leaders. We need a stable federal support for integration and mental and medical health services. And we need policies rooted in dignity and education, as families can focus on building our shared community and future. When families feel secure, they build. When mothers feel safe, they lead.
When children feel a stable, they dream. And when we protect our people, we strengthen the entire nation. This is not politics. This is humanity. This is America. All right, everybody, one note, we just want to do sort of one housekeeping note, attention all MAGA trolls, and with apologies to the pastor who gave the invocation, Your bullshit is not welcome here. And to paraphrase one of my favorite actors in the world, Robert De Niro, I'm going to slightly paraphrase him, fuck y'all. We're here to hear the truth and to hear from impacted people, not to see or hear from you. So go back and pay attention to your orange lying friend. Now, coming to the stage is one of the reasons that we are finally getting some of those files released. Everybody say release the files. Release the files. Coming to the stage now is Pennsylvania's Fighting 12 representative, Representative Summer Lee. She is one of the main reasons that we're getting some of those files. She's going to be reading a story from Monica Ruiz, the executive director of Casa San Jose, waiting to keep families together and reform. Our unjust immigration system, all while her family is now being impacted by ICE.
Representative Lee. What a start to the evening. But good evening, one way or another, I am Summer Lee representing Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, and I'm proud to stand here this evening with Move On. With organizers, with workers, and with everyday people who refuse to sit quietly while our country is pushed to the brink. Right now, Donald Trump is preparing to deliver his made-up version of the State of the Union. He's going to tell a familiar story tonight that the economy is booming, that our communities are safer, and that America is stronger than it's ever been, all because of him. But we know the truth. We are living the truth. We know the fear that our families are facing of being hunted down by ICE. We know our neighbors are working two, our three jobs to make ends meet, that their health care has been gutted and their federal jobs have been eliminated by the thousands. We know our education systems and unions are being targeted because they threaten authoritarian power. And they want us fighting each other so we don't pay attention to what they're stealing from us. And I mean all of us Democrats and Republicans and Independents, young folks and old folks and black folks, whether you're in a red or a blue state, whether you're in rural towns or factory communities, because corruption doesn't check your voter registration before it robs you.
Well, they're terrorizing immigrant communities right now. They're cutting healthcare. They're gutting worker protection. They're union busting. They're handing tax breaks to billionaires and sending the bill to the rest of us. That's the con. That's the scam. And working people are done falling for it. Tonight, I was supposed to be joined by my good friend and neighbor, Monica Ruiz. Monica is a mother, a community organizer, and a powerful advocate for immigrants' rights. She was ready to bring that fight from Pittsburgh to DC to remind folks who and what she has been fighting for relentlessly. But right now, Monica's family is in crisis as it's being targeted by ICE. Her son-in-law, Victor, was followed by agents unprompted after he dropped his brother off at work. They pulled him over without cause. There was no traffic violation, no expired tag, just a man who looked brown enough to be dragged to one of the worst detention centers in the country. Meanwhile, just the other day, Monica's daughter Adriana just gave birth to a baby girl who is yet to meet her father because he's been locked up by this lawless agency. Victor has been in the country for 18 years.
18 years of working to build a life for himself, his loved ones, and now his new family. That is the real state of our union, where families are being torn apart and traumatized, where corporations get more say in our democracy than the people we elect, where the government would rather protect powerful people and the Epstein files than the women and the girls who were sexually abused. We live in a country where we have one reality for everyday people and another for the rich and the well-connected and the well-protected. We have to change that. We have to meet the moment with bold policies that level the playing field and deliver justice no matter how much money you have to your name. That's why earlier today, I announced that I'll be introducing articles of impeachment against Pam Bondi. Trump's DOJ continues to obstruct justice and refusing to comply with our subpoena. To release the full unredacted Epstein files. Bondi must be held accountable for that. And let's not forget, it was Trump who said it first, release the files. So we'll keep that call up no matter what, because where I come from in Western Pennsylvania, we know what it means to be abandoned by politicians who make big promises and lie and deliver nothing.
We know what it's like when the factories close, when the hospitals cut services, when the schools can't afford to teach, when the corporations are given permission to poison our water, our air and our communities without consequences. And we know that no matter what language you speak, what zip code you live in, we all feel that pain and we are all being squeezed by the same rigged system. So when Trump points the fingers at immigrants, our trans kids, our protesters, our journalists, understand what he's doing. He's trying to make sure we never point the finger where it belongs at the billionaires and the corporations looting our economy, robbing our people, and buying our democracy right from address. But here is the truth that they're afraid of. Working people are waking up across this country. Folks are organizing labor and their money. They're refusing to be silent in the face of authoritarianism. But we know fear is their weapon, but solidarity is our power. So tonight, while Trump paints his fantasy version of America, we're grounded in America, in reality, and we're building something better. In America where we have Medicare for all, every job that pays a living wage, where no one fears being ripped away from their family.
That is the America we're fighting for. And later tonight, I'll be delivering the Working Families Party response to the State of the Union, laying out exactly what it will take to build an economy and a democracy that works for all of us, not just the working few. So I'm asking you to stay engaged, stay fired up, and tune in tonight, because this is about building a movement that is big enough to defeat authoritarianism, to stand up to corporate power, and root it in a simple I believe that when working people come together across race, across geography, and across whatever lines they try to divide us by, we are unstoppable. So all power to the people, and thank you all for being with us tonight. Well, hell yeah, that's how we do it. Coming up next, a man who doesn't suffer fools from the great state of Arizona. We've got Senator Ruben Gallego. He's going to be talking about a man by the name of Steve Gomez. Steve is a father of three from Gilbert, Arizona and for the last five years, Steve and his family have relied on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace for their insurance.
But let me be clear. Because of Republicans and Donald Trump's big bullshit bill, now Steve has to decide what he's going to cut to be able to afford health care for his child, Senator Ruben Gallego.
Listen, you know how important this is? I'm from Arizona. This is cold. But let's be clear what's happening there. They want to call that the State of the Union. It is the state of denial. Because what's going to happen under that Capitol is a bunch of lies. Lies that Donald Trump, the Republicans, are going to tell us about how great this country is doing right now. But what is true, what is happening right now, is that Donald Trump, the Republicans, have made this country sicker, poorer, and less secure. Sicker, poorer, and less secure. How did it start? As soon as they got in there, what did they do? They went and they cut Medicaid and they cut food stamps. Millions of Americans right now are without health care. The poorest of our country are trying to figure out how to make ends meet and how to pay for that grocery bill because they needed an extra billion dollars for their billionaire friends. And when they had whatever money they had left over, then they used it to hire the most amount of ICE agents to have the massive amount of deportations we have now that are also targeting U.S. citizens, racial profiling Americans, arresting Latino veterans and telling them you are not part of this country and making them prove that they're Americans when nobody asked to prove our citizenship when they were sending us to war.
For this country. Sicker, poorer, and more secure. Less secure. Let me tell you what else. Every day, every American is trying to figure out how to buy food, how to pay rent, how to pay that mortgage, how to get a car. And this president has done nothing to help that. $1,000 per average every American has to pay for his tax increases. And now, The corporations are going to get all their money back. Is every American going to get a refund for the $1,000 mistake that this president did? No. Not only that, he's going to double down. He's going to say, Screw you, Supreme Court. I want to do 15% tax, and guess what? All of you Americans are going to pay for it. And now we have to figure out again, how are we going to pay for our rent? How are we going to pay for electricity? How are we going to actually pay for everyday food? We are Horror because of Donald Trump and the Republicans. And let's talk about security. Let's talk about security. In two weeks, two Americans were gunned down by federal mask agents in front of our eyes, in front of your eyes.
And then they try to lie to you. You saw with your own eyes two Americans expressing their First Amendment rights. And they said to you that they deserve to die. Two Americans, 2,000 federal agents, mass federal agents, suppressing citizens in Minnesota, acting as if they are a military occupation. You do not military occupy anything in any part of this country. Those are U.S. citizens. They deserve the right to free speech. They deserve the right to say there's something wrong in my community, and they deserve the right to protect themselves and say, I will not stand for this. I will invoke my First Amendment rights and get out of my city. Let's be clear, no matter what they say, they are going to lie to you. And I'm not saying this just because I'm just another politician. I'm telling you because I have heard it. We talked about Steve Gomez. Steve Gomez wanted to do everything he could not to have to accept subsidies for his kids. He wants to provide, he wants to continue to have his personal business, he wants to be a responsible citizen. Now he has to make that decision. He has to make a decision right now.
Will I continue to pay for this very expensive health care or will I gamble? Will I pay for my health care or will I pay the mortgage? That decision was forced upon him by uncaring Republican administration by an uncaring Trump who only wants to find more and more money to give more and more tax cuts to the richest of the country that do not need it right now. They're making us sicker, poorer, and less secure. Let's change that America. We are better than what is under that capital right now. We can make this country again the best country in the world where everyone is richer. Where everyone is more secure and we are proud of everyday work that we can say that America is getting better, will be better and will one day be the best. Thank you so much. Stay in the fight.
All right, y'all okay? You doing all right? How many of you remember Kilmar Abrego Garcia? How many of you guys remember Kilmar? Wipe your hand if you remember. Well, coming to the stage is the man who had the courage, the cojones, to go and find him at Seacox and oh, look at that. My fans are back. What I always say is, you know who I am and I don't know who you are. That means you're a fan, you're a fan, you're a fan, you're a fan. Go ahead and keep on standing to me. Keep on standing to me because I
don't know who the hell you are,
but you know me. Hallelujah, keep on being my fan. Coming to the stage is the great Chris Van Hollen, Senator Chris Van Hollen of the great state of Maryland. He'll be joined by Jenna Norton, a public health scientist focused on health equity and data standards to improve health outcomes in kidney and urologic diseases. She was a lead organizer of the Bethesda Declaration, a whistleblower letter to the NIH director and members of Congress detailing this harm. In November 2025, she was placed on retaliatory administrative leave. So you're going to want to give her a major round of applause. Senator Van Hollen.
Hello, American Patriots, all. We are gathered here in this place because we love our country. And we know that our democracy is not on automatic pilot, and we know that we, the people, must mobilize to save it. Are you out here to save our democracy? And you're going to hear from a moment from my guest, who is a research scientist at NIH. Who was able to stand up and speak truth to power. And you're going to hear her tonight tell that story. Thank you for being here, Dr. Norton. Now we know the state of our union. We know it is under attack from a lawless president who is shredding our Constitution and who is attacking our democracy, a president whose private ICE army executes Americans and then calls the victims domestic terrorists. That is what Donald Trump and his administration said. We are here because we know our country is being robbed by the most corrupt president in American history, who's exploiting the Oval Office to enrich himself his families, and his billionaire buddies. A president who continues to hide portions of the Epstein files from both the survivors and the American people. When are they going to release the files?
A president who wants to erase our history. Are we going to let him erase America's history? A president who promised that on day one he would bring down the costs. But instead, ever since he was sworn in, we've seen prices and costs go up on the American people, even as he refuses to extend tax cuts, tax credits that help people afford their health care. We have a president who seeks not to build a more perfect union, but one who wants to tear it down. And a president who said he would stop wars, who said he would stop wars, but instead is responsible for war crimes and as we speak is threatening more wars. We need to stop him. We are gathered here because we know that we cannot pretend that any of this is normal and that we will not and must not pretend that this is business as usual. We must get in the way of Donald Trump's march toward fascism. We cannot take our country down that road. And what Donald Trump wants to do is what we know all bullies do. All dictators do. He wants to intimidate all of us. He wants us to sit obediently and quietly while he lies and lies and lies to the American people.
In other words, he wants us to shut up and sit down. So I have a question for all of you patriots. Are you going to shut up? Hell no. Are you going to sit down? Hell no. We're not going to stand down. We're going to stand up just like the people in Minneapolis who have taken to the streets, who are blowing the whistle to protect their neighbors and to protect our Constitution, and who are getting in the way of the President's efforts to tear down our country. Now, look, we know Donald Trump is unpopular and we know he knows he's unpopular. So tonight, right up that hill in the United States Capitol, he's going to pretend that he really wants to help working Americans. He's going to pretend that he does want to bring down those prices. And we know that that is not what he wants because just a few weeks ago when we talked about the affordability crisis, he said that was a big hoax. Do you remember? He said that was a hoax. Well, it's real. And we all need to make sure that we put forward ideas to deal with it.
So, in my view, it's not enough that we hold the line against Donald Trump. We must do. But let's face it, we also need to show the American people that we are willing to stand up and fight against big corporate special interests to the benefit of all of the American people. Are we going to do that together? Because We need to make sure that we unrig a tax code. A tax code that right now favors people who make money off of money over people who earn a check through their hard work. Are we going to change that? We need to make sure that all of you don't pay higher electric bills, so data centers that are owned by the richest corporations on the planet can make more money? Are we going to make sure that your electricity bills don't go up for them? And we need to make sure that big oil and the biggest polluters don't pass on the check to all of us because polluters should pay. And we need to make sure that big tech doesn't write all the rules, that we write the rules and we make sure that AI doesn't strip Americans of the dignity of work.
Are we going to do that? And we're going to make sure they can't snuff out the light on the Statue of Liberty. Are we right about that, my fellow Americans? So look, we have a lot of work to do. And I'm often asked by people, when's the cavalry coming? Where are they? And my message to you and you know this because you're here is you are the Calvary. You are we the people. I know all of you remember that right after he was sworn in, Donald Trump began his unlawful assault on hardworking federal employees. Federal employees who work every day to deliver services to the American people. You remember he brought in Elon Musk who took out his chainsaw not to make government more efficient but to rig the government in favor of billionaires like him. One of the people who stood up and spoke out was Dr. Jenna Norton, a career public health researcher at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Norton blew the whistle on the outrageous actions that threatened the health and well-being of the American people. And she has been retaliated against because she was willing to stand up and tell the truth.
But here's what we all know. When the history of this moment is written, the politicians and the law firms and the universities and the corporations who appease the bullies will be exposed as the cowards they are. And the people who are standing up to save our democracy, like all of you gathered here today, and people like Dr. Norton, they will be remembered as those who preserved our Constitution and our democracy. So ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome
Thank you, Senator Van Hollen. I'm so honored to be here today speaking up with so many other brave people in my personal capacity. As Senator Van Hollen noted, in November of 2025, I was placed on administrative of leave from the job that I loved at the National Institutes of Health because I blew the whistle on the wrongdoing that I saw there. The Trump administration put research participants and public health at risk by a is that better? So thank you, Senator Van Hollen, and thank you for letting me know that you couldn't hear me. I am very honored to be here today with all of the brave folks who have been speaking up, and I am here in my personal capacity. So as Senator Van Hollen noted, I was placed on administrative leave in November of last year because I spoke up about the wrongdoing that I was seeing in a job that I used to love at the National Institutes of Health until it was fundamentally changed. The Trump administration put research participants and public health at risk when they abruptly terminated NIH studies. By halting these studies, they also wasted taxpayer resources. When you halt a study, a five-year study, a $5 million study, four years in, you don't save $1 million, you waste $4 million.
And they continue to this day to censor research in violation of the courts, erasing people from science who don't fit their vision. Black people, Hispanic people, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, all Americans who deserve to have their unique research needs addressed. They are creating a science that serves serves the few instead of a science that serves all of us. When this began, I knew that speaking up was my right, but I also believed that it was my duty. I first spoke up inside the National Institutes of Health, but when my concerns were not addressed, by leadership at NIH, I felt that I had no choice but to join with hundreds of my colleagues at NIH to take those concerns to the public. Tonight, you are hearing from those most affected by the Trump administration. But civil servants like me are not the only ones affected. The lawlessness at the National Institutes of Health affects all of us. Last year, the Trump administration funded 24% fewer new research studies with about the same amount of money. That means fewer future cures for all of us. The Trump administration also funded 20% fewer early career researchers, creating a brain drain that will damage our economy and end American leadership in science exploration as our best and our brightest seek positions abroad.
The Trump administration tried to silence us by putting me and other federal employees who have spoken up on retaliatory administrative leave. They do not want you to know how they are destroying your government. Our government. But we will not stop speaking up. Let's get loud together. This is our country. And when we come together, we are powerful. Thank you. That's exactly what we need to be hearing tonight. Coming up next, we have a congressman from the state of Texas who's the chair of the Democratic Congressional Progressive Caucus. These days, people look at the word progressive and they think it means something, but it's not. What it is is every basic shibboleth human thing that we all deserve. We should get it. That means affordable health care. That means due process. That means basic human civil rights. Congressman Greg Cassar from the state of Texas is here with a woman by the name of Jill Kordick. Jill is a retiree from last year. Her premiums used to be $75 a month courtesy of the enhanced premium tax credits. But again, the Republicans and Donald Trump with the big bullshit bill didn't care about those enhanced tax credits and said we're not giving it to Americans anymore.
So now Jill's premiums have increased tenfold this year. So now it costs $800 a month for 9,600 people. $600 a year for health care. Please welcome Congressman Greg Kassar and Jill Kordick.
Bureaus North ChesT Washington, D.C. How are we doing tonight? I'm not in the Capitol building tonight because I have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen for an hour or two or three or four. A man who's made $4 billion off of being president is going to lecture you, the American people, about how good you have it. A man who is building himself a golden ballroom is going to tell you that if you're struggling to get by, that's your fault because he's killing it. A man who flies around in a $400 million palace in the sky is going to tell you how good the economy actually is. He's going to tell us that the State of the Union is strong. Strong for who? Donald Trump and his billionaire donors' bottom line might be strong. The Epstein class certainly is going strong. But the State of our Union is about all of us. And everyone but Donald Trump's rich friends know that it's a disaster. Our union is not strong when millions of folks like Jill are seeing their health care premiums go up two times, four times, five times, 10 times higher. Our union is not strong when Americans fear they could be killed or taken by masked agents in our streets.
And now the latest news is that Trump is going to talk about in his speech tonight Another tax cut for the richest people in this country and for big corporations. 17 million Americans are already paying for Donald Trump's last billionaire tax cut by losing their health care. Do we need another one? Read my lips. No new billionaire tax cuts. It's time for them to pay their fair share so that every man, woman and child in this country can have a job that pays a living wage and affordable child care and health care as a basic human right for every single person. And while we're at it, we should get big money out of politics so that both parties answer to the people and not to the billionaires. Not another cent to the billionaire class, not another cent to the Epstein class, We will fight this Trump proposal tonight, tooth and nail, and we will make sure that the Republicans that vote for it lose their jobs. What do y'all say? Yo, we don't need to hear what Donald Trump says tonight because we see what he does. He steals from working Americans to give to the rich.
Donald Trump doesn't owe us a two-hour rambling speech. He owes the American people their money back.
I now pay just short of ten thousand dollars. From $900 to $10,000, affordability looks very different today. So now I find myself shopping a
little different at the grocery store. I'm in Iowa, so yes, we do
layer up and use blankets all in an attempt not to raise my heat bill. And honestly, I am making choices to defer health care, just all in, you know, great fiscal caution, as I'm looking at at least a $10,000 deductible. There are millions of Americans that are affected by the loss of the ACA credits. In Iowa specifically, there are around 100,000. 13,000 have opted not to sign up and be in the marketplace this year. That's 13,000 Iowans trying to navigate the health care systems without coverage. This isn't abstract. These are real policy choices, errant policy choices, and they're harming real people like me. And these intentions and the intentions here that these leaders are supposed these guys are supposed to be representing us. Too many syllables here. Yet, and they continue to disappoint us. They've just shown us, the Republicans and Donald Trump, how out of touch they are with real Americans. So when they choose tax breaks for the wealthy over affordability, that dastardly word that Donald doesn't like. Affordability for Americans, they're turning their very back on the people that they are supposed to be representing. So thank you for listening. Thank you for showing up tonight.
Let's hear it for Jill. Let's hear it for each of you guys. Thank you guys very much. Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
Y'all good?
Y'all doing good? You doing okay? All right, wonderful. Coming to the stage. Now, this is going to be an incredible tag team. This is a dynamic duo. All of these have been dynamic duos tonight.
But coming to the stage right now, you are about to get
A powerful message about change and hope and possibility from California's fighting 42. Yeah, Representative Robert Garcia and joining Representative Garcia is the Kelly Robinson, executive director of Human Rights Campaign. She is the ninth president of HRC and the first, the first, black queer woman to lead the largest lgbtq plus civil rights organization in the United States. Give it up. Representative Garcia and Kelly Robinson. Hey, everyone, how we doing tonight? It is. It is so. It is so great for both Kelly and I to be here with all of you. Two proud members of the LGBTQ+ community who are proud to be standing tonight with the people at the People's State of the Union.
The single most powerful moment tonight is going to be when Donald Trump has to look up at the gallery of the U.S. House and see the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein looking straight back at him, demanding justice, demanding truth, and demanding accountability. We should be crystal clear about right now what is happening in our country. We have a president who is leading the single largest government cover-up in modern history. We have the single largest sex trafficking ring in modern history right now being covered up by Donald Trump and Pam Bondi in the Department of Justice. Why are we protecting Powerful, wealthy men who have abused and raped women and children in this country. Why is our government protecting these men? At this very moment, in my place at the Capitol, is a woman named Annie Farmer. Annie and her sister Maria We have both endured horrific abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. As we move forward in this investigation, always center the survivors. We are going to get justice for the survivors. And Donald Trump may call this investigation a hoax. He may try to deflect our work. But our message to him is very clear.
That our investigation is just getting started. And we will, we will get justice for these survivors. And tonight I am proud to be here with a true champion of equality, because at this very moment, not only has HRC and Kelly stood up for survivors and the victims of abuse, but they stand up for our community, for gay people, for trans people, for queer people that are being attacked and whose rights are being moved back every single day. So it is, give a big welcome and it's proud, I'm proud to be here with the amazing Kelly Robinson. Thank you, thank you. Yes, yes. One more time for Congressman Garcia, y'all. Can we thank him for being out here with us for the people's state of the union and not in there with those lies, come on y'all. Come on y'all. This is what leadership looks like. This is what queer leadership looks like too. Okay. I'm Kelly Robinson. I'm proud to be president of the Human Rights Campaign.
We are the largest LGBTQ plus civil rights organization in the world. 3.6 million members strong and fighting every day. But today I'm here for the people who are in same sex marriages are worried about their families. I'm here for the parents that are tossing and turning at night over the safety of their queer youth. I'm here for every trans kid that just wants to feel seen, valued, and loved. I'm here for every trans person that's been kicked out of our military and every person living with HIV that's denied their PrEP medication. I'm here for our community tonight. Because I gotta remind this country that lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and queer people We've always been here and we're not going anywhere. This is our country too. This is our country too. We have paid for it in funerals and freedom songs and court cases and classroom battles. When I say this is our country, I'm saying it with my whole chest. And once again, we are here to defend what is ours. Because my friends, these are not ordinary times. There's nothing ordinary about this president removing the pride flag from Stonewall. There's nothing ordinary about them cutting billions of dollars from HIV prevention and throwing it into building more ICE detention facilities.
We need healthcare, we need food, we don't need mass incarceration. And there's certainly nothing ordinary. About this government murdering United States citizens. Renee Good should still be alive. Alex Preddy should still be alive. Ruben Ray Martinez, Dr. Linda, Keith Porter Jr. and all the other people who have died in ICE custody should still be alive. These right here are serious times that require serious leadership. And if that leadership isn't going to come from the White House, it's sure as hell going to come from people like us gathered like this to create change and fight for freedom and not give up on our country. Isn't that right?
So I want to say this.
I pray that one day my children will grow up in a world where they feel just as safe surrounded by the American flag as they do when they are surrounded by pride flags. And the only way that that day will come is if we show out and vote this November. If we talk to our neighbors about things that matter. If we don't give up on one another and don't give up on this country. And I'm reminded by the words of the great Ella Baker, y'all. She said, We who believe in freedom cannot rest. We who believe in freedom cannot rest. We who believe in freedom cannot rest. Rest. And I'm not gonna rest while our immigrant neighbors are under attack. I'm not gonna rest while they keep coming for our queer and trans youth. I'm not gonna rest while they try to unravel our democracy. Are you gonna rest? Are you gonna fight? Are you gonna vote? Then let's do the work and let's get free, y'all. I feel that she needs some walk off music after that. Damn. So a DJ. You need a DJ? Alrighty. So we all know that the convicted felon Donald Trump thought that he could test certain cities to see if they were made of the metal to crumble.
One of the cities he's picked was Portland, Oregon. And Portland said, hell no, I've got to go. Portland also said, hell no, National Guard is not going to happen here. Federal judges told this administration no. And what did Trump do? He called for their impeachment. He doesn't believe in the rule of law. But Senator Jeff Merkley is here to let us know and to let all of you know that the rule of law is still alive and well. He's joined tonight by Nafisa Fai, Washington County Commissioner who made history as the first immigrant and refugee, the first black and the first Muslim commissioner in that county. She is outspoken because ICE and Trump's secret police are terrorizing our communities. Let's hear it for Senator Merkley and Nafisa Fai. How are you all doing tonight? You know, Kelly Robinson who just spoke from HRC, how about another hand of applause for her work leading the equality movement? And how about this? How about we pass the Equality Act so discrimination and bigotry is eliminated across the United States of America?
Now, if the president was telling the truth tonight, he'd be saying, well, here I am, one year in, and you know what I've done over the last year? Made the billionaires a lot richer and everyone else sicker and poorer. Is that the kind of America we want? You know, it's pretty incredible to see really the damage that can be done by a leader like Donald Trump. And part of that damage is undermining the very core of our Constitution, the checks and balances of our Constitution. And he has really had a ten part plan to be able to do that. And one of those parts of the plan, an incredibly dangerous plan, are troops in the street. It means federalizing the National Guard. So we're going to stop that? It means he wants to send the military out and surround the polling place in November. Are we going to allow that to happen? It means ICE operating as secret police. And I can tell you this, I never thought we'd see secret police here in the United States of America. I mean, you read about it at some other country about people who have no badges.
They show up. They show up in an unmarked van. They have no judicial warrant. They knock down the doors. They grab people out of the house. They grab people out of the car. They proceed to disappear them. They don't let them reach an attorney. They don't let it reach family. Folks, we have secret police right now in the United States of America, and we've got to end it. And perhaps the most dangerous part of his ten part plan is rigging the next election. Have you heard about this thing called the Save Act? What he means by save is he wants to save his authoritarian control and turn the presidency into a kingship. We're going to let that happen? Yeah, the Save Act would say, well, we're going to take folks who generally might vote for the blue side and make it hard to register to vote. We're going to make it hard to actually vote. We're going to make it hard to do vote by mail. We're going to make it hard for women who have changed their name when they got married or men who changed their name when they got married. It doesn't matter their birth certificate.
Make it difficult for them to vote. You know what? I think if you really believe in the Constitution of the United States of America, you want every single citizen to be at the ballot and able to cast their vote for how the direction of this country goes. So tonight I am really pleased to introduce my guest, Nafisa Fai. Nafisa has broken a lot of boundaries. She came to the United States of America as a Somali refugee. She became a leader in her community, not just her Somali community, but her Washington County community. She proceeded to get elected to the County Commission and to be a real fighter for the fundamentals for families to thrive. For healthcare, for housing, for education, for good paying jobs. And you know what? I want to say this. When the president and his team attack any group resident in the United States, let's stand by their side. When he attacks our Muslim Americans, let's stand with our Muslim Americans. When he attacks our Hispanic Americans, let's Stand with our Hispanic Americans. When he attacks our Somali Americans, let's stand with our Somali Americans. Together we are virtually all immigrants. Let's together make this nation stronger, embrace each other's talents.
I say hell yes to diversity. I say hell yes to equity. I say hell yes to inclusion. And here is a champion doing the hard work at the county level in the FISAT final. Let's give her a big welcome. I think the senator started a trend, so I'm just gonna hold the mic as well. Hello, everyone. I think the secret is out. I am from Somalia, but don't share that with Donald Trump. My state had enough of him, so my name
My name is Nafisa Fai and I serve as a Washington County Commissioner in Washington County, Oregon. I'm honored to be here in Washington, DC because policies passed in DC have real consequences for the people I represent back home in Oregon. I want to thank Senator Jeff Merkley for inviting me and for standing with communities in Oregon. In Washington County, residents are directly impacted every day. Man, DC, I thought Oregon was really cold, but DC is super cold. I tell you, it's been a while since I've been in Somalia, so I should be used to the cold weather, but DC is really cold. In Washington County, residents are directly impacted every day by the actions of ICE. But because we have leaders who are willing to listen and act, our residents are also empowered to speak up and even take ICE to court and prevail. How many of you? That's what happened when Victor Cruz, when ICE wrongfully detained him in Oregon, he didn't stay silent. With legal support and community backing, he challenged that detention in court and won. His case didn't just change his life, it improved protection for others in Oregon as well.
And then there is Paulino Martin San Pedro. After being detained by ICE, he became seriously ill, was deported and later died in Mexico. His family and community are still living with that loss. His story is painful reminder of the human cost when enforcement ignores dignity and due process. These stories matter because they show what's at stake and what's possible. With leaders and leadership like yours, Senator Merkley, residents are empowered to seek justice and we are called to ensure tragedies like Polino are never repeated. Thank you for this opportunity and for giving us a voice and for being here today. Thank you. Nasheesa, thank you so much. Thank you, Patriots. Let's save our Republic. That's our mission. Let's get it done. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. All right, y'all. Thank you. You don't have to miss me. Just go ahead and subscribe at thejoyreadshow.com no
need to miss me at all. Now we know that the great state of Minnesota has given us really
the human image of the carnage of the Epstein class, the ice domestic terrorism against American people, and the ruthlessness and cruelty of this regime. It's given us the face of Alex Paredes, of Renee Nicole Good, of that sweet little baby in his little blue hat being taken from school, Liam Canejo Ramos. That is the image right now that this regime will have to take into history. But the other image that will go into history is the resilience, the resilience of Minneapolis, the resilience of the people of Minnesota, the resilience of Ilhan Omar facing somebody trying to rush her on stage and being ready to throw hands. Don't come for her if she has not called you. The resilience and the kindness, the interfaith, interracial, kindness and resilience of Minneapolis, of Minnesota will live on into history. And that is a sign of great leadership and great community. So I am so pleased right now to bring you one of the great ladies of the state of Minnesota. Their Senator, Tina Smith. And she will be joined by Brenda Lewis, who is the superintendent of Fridley Public Schools. She's been working tirelessly to protect Fridley students and their families during the ongoing ice search in Minnesota.
Give them a Minnesota level round of applause. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. Thank you to MoveOn and to Midas Touching everyone, but especially thank you to the activists and the organizers that are here today. This is what a pro-democracy movement looks like. Look around. And back behind me here is the United States Capitol. And inside that Capitol, I gotta say, I'm so glad I'm out here with all of you instead of inside that Capitol right now. Inside the Capitol, Donald Trump is lying about the state of this nation. He is using division to drive us
apart,
to make us think that we are not one nation, one community. And that is what This is why we are all gathered here today, because we are against the chaos and the corruption that he is spouting back there in that most precious capital of ours. But tonight we are outside and I'm here to tell you this feels like resistance weather to me. Because we want to tell the real story about what is happening in this country, what is really, really going on. And we're here to offer an alternative that is not about it is about fighting for the working, the hard working people in this country. And that is why I am so grateful to be here with my special guest today, Brenda Lewis. Give it up, Cal. Thank you, Brenda, for being here. Brenda is an educator. She was the superintendent of the Fridley Public Schools. This is a district of about 2,800 students. It is very, very diverse. It's a suburb of Minneapolis and St. Paul. And when ICE came to Minnesota, Brenda sprang into action. I'm here to tell you folks, she is a badass. Now you've seen, you've seen the searing images of what has happened in my state, in our country.
People who have been arrested and detained and assaulted. The killing of Alex Prety and Renee Good. You have seen the searing images of Liam Conejo Ramos and his dad ripped away from their home and sent off to Texas for no reason at all. But I'm here to tell you that what you see in the pictures is what's really happening is so much worse than that. Because once you get past the incredible documentation that is happening by these eyewitness accounts in small towns all across Minnesota, this same thing is happening. Restaurants and people have lost their livelihoods because of this secret police that has attacked our state. Families are torn apart and they will never be put back together again. The pain and the suffering and the damage is going to last for a very, very long time. And this is what Donald Trump and Kristi Noem are doing to us right now. But we have seen something else in Minnesota. When they brought guns, we had whistles. People came out in their neighborhood and they stood up for people that they didn't even know. They brought diapers and they helped get prescriptions to families. They gathered together just out of the pure love of their neighbors, even the neighbors that they did not know.
And when ICE came and started circling around schools and terrorizing families, people like Brenda stood up and fought for their kids because she knew that her most important job was to keep those kiddos safe. And so I want you all to thank Brenda for everything that she has done. I want to invite her up. To talk about what it has really been like, what it has really been like in Minnesota. So, Brenda, can you tell us what happened? When did you first realize that this was happening with ICE and that you were going to have to spring into action? Sure. I first realized this in December when the temporary order was put through on our Somali families. And we were told, let's watch our attendance. And our attendance immediately dropped. Then the day after the Renee Good murder, we had more than a third of our students absent. And that's when it began. And at that time, we thought we had seen the worst. And I'm about to share with you tonight a story that happened that covers a 10-minute period of time on a morning. I woke up. That morning a little bit optimistic and we learned that 700 ICE agents were leaving Minnesota immediately.
Little glimmer of hope. Our second glimmer of hope, our lawsuit to keep ICE out of Minnesota schools was trending really well in the media. That morning on patrol, all of a sudden I got a call saying there are six vehicles up and down, up and down, up and down, right outside of one of our elementary schools. They were then in a roundabout preventing our children from crossing to come to school. They were yelling and screaming at our crossing guards. Then our principal was trying to help and trying to keep our students safe. And four ICE agents posing as press with orange upper bicep bands were yelling and screaming at her and videoing her. Then a mother was followed who is legally in the United by two vehicles full of ICE agents and she had to pull into our school so that she wouldn't be hurt. A board member was followed by ICE agents with a three-year-old in the back of her car. This is just a 10-minute period on one morning at an elementary school welcome. So think about that. Brenda and her educators should be figuring out how to keep how our children can be learning, and instead they are pressed into this relentless effort to keep our children safe.
But I want you to think as I wrap here about where the power is right now. The power is with people like Brenda. The power is with people like you, you and people like you all over this country. The power does not come From the United States Capitol, the power comes to the United States Capitol from all of you. And that is the work that we have ahead of us. That is the work before us. So thank you all so very, very much for being here to talk about what the people want to see in this country right now. And it is not what Donald Trump is talking about right behind us. So thank you all so very, very much. Thank you. Love you guys too. Alrighty. Love you. Okay, forget it. I don't know how to do this. So, Not everybody gets to be from the amazing place called New Jersey. But they do have some pretty cool people like Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. You know what she just did? She just introduced legislation to stop the bullshit of immigration arrests while people are going to court.
Right? Because it never was about getting the
quote unquote illegal aliens. It was never about getting the quote unquote criminal element out. It was making sure that we got rid of the people that didn't look like us. And that is what this administration is all about. So Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman says we're not doing that anymore in our courthouses. She's joined today by Nedda Morchi, the director of Make the Road New Jersey, one of the most fantastic community organizations in the state of New Jersey that is focusing on our communities of color. Please welcome them to the stage now. Of course. You want to hold it? Thank you. Of course. Go ahead. I'm a black woman. I'm here with an Egyptian Peruvian woman. We're America. We belong here. This is our country. This is a government of by and for the people and Minneapolis showed us what happens when the people say, no more. I am here because I will not
be there listening to lies.
Lies about what he thought he did, lies about what he's doing now, and lies about what he's going to promise in the future. We're entitled to safety, security, jobs, housing, and healthcare. And we demand that anybody that works for the United States government does so constitutionally and legally. So I got a special guest tonight for you because they're gearing up in New Jersey now. But New Jersey is gearing up for ice. We want you to know that we're going to be ready when you come here. So you think you saw something in Minneapolis? You come to New Jersey. We may be small, but we're frickin mighty. I want to give Nettie an opportunity to talk to you about how we organize Get ready and take care of one another. Give her a big round of applause if she's encouraged to come before you. Thank you, Bonnie. I'm going to ask if folks can repeat after me. I am somebody. And I deserve full equality here and now. With your chest. I am somebody and I deserve full equality here and now. First, thank you to Congresswoman for the invitation tonight. Thank you for your service.
A powerful example of a woman grounded in her purpose. My name is Nadia Morsey and I'm the director of Make the Road Action New Jersey. And I'm here tonight on behalf of our nearly 7,000 working class and immigrant members across the beautiful state of New Jersey. This administration is one of the most violent and dangerous this country has ever seen. It was the Sunday after the inauguration around 10 o'clock in the morning when we had begun to receive calls from members further down on South Broad Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey. That ICE was knocking doors and entering businesses. I remember when I got to South Broad, it was a ghost town. The bodega was closed, the T-Mobile was closed, the bakery was closed. The videos of what happened that morning started to circulate in WhatsApp chats and Facebook groups. I called the same members who had called me who I knew lived near South Broad, and we came together and we slid up to knock on doors with Know youw Rights materials, and to invite community members to our centers. That's how you start. You just start. You set up a phone tree to check up on fellow Elizabeth members throughout the city and we organize a town hall the following evening.
More than 300 people attended with less than 20 hours notice. What we came to see, what we always come to learn, is that people are searching for community. And we kept that way. Shocked, but organizing. Organizing in shock. Reminding ourselves that our liberation is not found in any administration, but in our collective efforts. When the fight of our outcome, when the outcome of our fight has never been more important, I can say that the union is strong if we remain strong. Every day I choose to organize, and every day Hundreds of thousands of people across America choose the same. And together, even in the midst of so much violence, we will win. Trump is making cuts to health care to funnel billions to ICE to build concentration camps in our backyards. They're using commercial warehouses that have been converted into concentration camps with floor maps that look like slave ships. Concentration camps where they're holding children and adults who have been kidnapped, citizen or not, for the crime of being black or brown or poor or Palestinian. In Roxbury, New Jersey, in Social Circle, Georgia, in San Antonio, Texas, in Surprise, Arizona, all across the country, in all of our backyards, fascism is rampant.
And we have to ask ourselves the question, who are the puppet masters? They are the billionaires standing behind Donald Trump, pulling the strings. And these billionaires, they have names. Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, Elon Musk, and many more. Corporations like Palantir are beta testing their mass surveillance systems on immigrants and they are helping the administration compile data on U.S. residents across every government agency, including the IRS and law enforcement. They won't stop until they build an algorithmic surveillance where they profit on all of us. In the face of such blatant greed and hatred, the American people couldn't be more clear. We want an economy that delivers for all of us. And a country where we protect our neighbors. From Dilly to Delaney, we are prepared to dismantle ICE. This is not the path we chose to take, but if the only way out is through, then the only way through is together. As one people, fighting for the ones we don't know yet. Presidents can come and go, but we are here to stay. And while we need to defund ICE, we need to deconstruct Homeland Security. Okay. Let me get another round of applause for those queens.
Deconstruct DHS.
I think I could get down with that. If the funding runs out, I'm not sure it should come back. I realize Cash Patel needs to go
to Italy on occasion for fun vacations to hang out with the hockey team on our dime. I realize that he likes to use
the private jet and that deconstructing and defunding DHS would interrupt the fund that he's having on our dime. I think it's worth it. Make him buy a regular ticket on an airline like the rest of us. Come into the stage. Now, I want you all to say after me, all right? Say, okay. Say, you said that. Say, you did that. All right? Okay. You said that. Oh, I know you didn't say that. The next person that I'm bringing to the stage made that kind of call and response normalized in Congress. The greatest hype woman any member ever had. The woman who's gonna let you know when you said it and let you know when you failed to say it. The lady who is standing up for the Epstein survivors like nobody else. Coming to the stage from the great state of California, California's fighting 37, Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove. Give her a round of applause. Give it up for Joy Reid, y'all. My hype women, how are you all tonight? It is a little cold. I am from Chicago, but it's still cold. So I don't know about you, But my mother has always told me, don't let nobody come up in your house and disrespect you.
Now, unfortunately, I share my house with Speaker Johnson. Exactly. And he's got somebody up in my house disrespecting all of us. So I decided. That I would hang out with my people, with the people, with all of us, the people who have been in the streets day after day demanding better from our government. But in my stead, I sent a survivor, Jenna Lisa Jones. Who at the age of 14 endured something that no child should have to. And she sent some words for me to share with you. As a survivor of the abuse and exploitation connected to Jeffrey Epstein, this invitation means far more to me than simply attending a historic address. It represents recognition that survivors' voices matter, that our experiences are not invisible, and that our resilience deserves to be seen and acknowledged in the very spaces where our nation's future is shaped. Moments like this remind me that we are not alone. That our stories have meaning and that there are leaders who are willing to stand with us. I met and hung out with Jenna Lisa today. And as I listened to her, I was struck by the extraordinary courage that it takes as a survivor to show up and stand up and look your oppressor in the eye and say, I will not be silenced.
But sadly, this is a kind of courage that our president doesn't have. So as Donald Trump delivers his address and sees Jenna Lisa and her fellow survivors in the audience, he will be reminded what true leadership looks like. And it is not measured by applause from sycophants. It is measured by whether or not you stand by your word to fight against injustice. Or whether you want to shield the folks who should be held accountable. But enough about Trump. I'm so tired of talking about this small man who is not worth any of our time. Because this people's state of the union is not about him.
It's about us.
And what is worth our time, our commitment, our work. And y'all, let me tell you, up until November and for the next couple of years, it will be a lot of work. But what is worth our time is the future that we want to to build. Every single one of us wants an America as good as her promise. And each of our dreams are different. That's what makes diversity so amazing. But there are some fundamentals, y'all, that are just non-negotiable we have to take on the corporations and the monopolies that are squeezing every dollar out of our pockets and making us poorer. We have got to lower the cost of health care and everyday necessities. Nobody should be forced to make a decision about if they're going to pay the rent or stay alive. We have got to make the dream of home ownership real. It is not if you try to dream and work to own a home that it costs you a future and limits your future instead of allowing you to build a future. And we have got to build an education system that opens the doors for all of our young people rather than shutting them down and burying them in student loan debt.
And yes, we need an immigration system that lives up to the founding ideals of this country. Diversity is not it is not the threat. It is the very source of who we are as a nation, y'all. And we have to empower our cities, our rural communities, with the resources they need to solve 21st and 22nd century problems. And above all, we must. And if you don't know it by now, then you have not been paying attention. But we must save and protect and defend and make more righteous our democracy. Because without it, absolutely none of this is possible. This weekend I was back home in California in my district and I was talking to one of my constituents. May and May said, I want to be able to trust my government again. I want elected officials who will be honest with me. I want to see courage and real talk, y'all. We have a government that is working harder to harm us than help us. Real talk, we have a government right now where justice goes to the highest bidder and the lowest kneeler. And that is not what we signed up for, and that's not what we deserve.
It is time, it is wait time, it is past time in Black History Month and every other month of the year, y'all. It is time for the moral goodness of this country to match our economic might. For our leaders to put people over profits, compassion over cruelty, and equity over evil. This is our country. This is this is our moment. And just like Jenna Lisa said, we will not be silenced. The people's state of the union starts tonight, and we're going to keep it going every day of the week through November and to the end of this man's term until we get the country. That we deserve. Thank you so much. Well done, well done. All right, all right, all right, all right. California love. Or maybe Crip Walk up in here, because I'm from that generation. Coming to the stage next from the great state of Massachusetts. How many of y'all want to see the Green New Deal? Okay, we like breathing, we like clean air, right? We like clean water, Green New Deal, we like it. Coming to the stage right now is the champion of
the Green New Deal,
a man who has fought for justice, for equality, and for a country we can actually breathe in. Give it up for Senator Ed Markey. He is going to be reading a story from Gladys Vega, the president and CEO of La Cola Boratiba in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Massachusetts, which has been providing critical resources and support to Chelsea and the greater Boston region since the year of our Lord 1990 by empowering Latino individuals and families, promoting educational opportunity, advocating for social justice, and fostering economic empowerment. Give it up for Senator Ed Markey. Joy Reid, what a job she is doing tonight. Just absolutely incredible joy. Thank you. And thank you all for being out here this evening. Tonight, I am not in the U.S. Capitol, but Donald Trump's state of the Union address. I am here with you at the People's State of the Union, because the state
of the union should be a moment of truth, a reckoning with reality, a commitment to the common good. But under Donald Trump, it has become a Liza Palooza that goes on for hours with him. If he was Pinocchio, his nose would stretch across the entire length of the floor of the Congress this evening. It's one big lie, a made-for-TV spectacle, a bogus sales pitch and a slap in the face. Of the millions of Americans who are living through their struggles each and every day. Trump will stand before Congress tonight and say that everything is fine. He will say the economy is the best ever, while working families are drowning under the weight of health care bills and housing costs and food costs and Trump tariff taxes. He will say the system is working and that we need more corporate tax breaks while the billionaire CEO cronies loot this country under the COVID of manufactured crisis. He will say the country is safer while immigrant communities live in fear of masked agents ripping parents from their children. And innocent people are murdered in our streets at the hands of ice thugs operating with impunity. This is not a state of the union address.
I will legitimize. So tonight I stand with you with an urgent message. We cannot agonize. We must organize against Donald Trump in 2026. And we must fight back because Donald Trump is doing to our country, and it is something that cannot be allowed to continue. Because I will not stand while this administration attacks immigrant families and uses ICE as his own private army to use a paramilitary force that terrorizes entire communities. I will not stand by while they gut our health care system, undermining Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, our education system, our environmental justice funding, and looting all of that money to give tax rates to millionaires and to billionaires. I will not stand by while they target transgender people, demonizing trans kids. Banning them from schools and sports and trying to erase their very existence from public life. Trans rights are human rights. They cannot be trampled. I will not stand by while they roll back civil rights protections, undermine reproductive freedom, rig our tax code so that billionaires pay less, Well, the rest pay more. Every time I vote against a Trump nominee or a Trump budget, I draw a line for you.
A line between democracy and authoritarianism. A line between justice and cruelty. A line between government that represents we the people and one that glorifies we, the Epstein class. And I will keep drawing that line every single day. But I know that voting no is not enough because what is at stake at this moment is not a single bill or a single nominee or even a single presidency. What is at stake is whether the United States of America remains a democracy that works for the many. Or becomes a dictatorship that serves only the few. We are living in a critical moment and we must fight back. Trump wants to scare us into submission, but when he rolls back our rights, we roll up our sleeves. And that means we must be louder, we must push back harder than ever before. So I'm here to ask every single person out in the crowd and online, Will you fight for our future? Will you fight for our democracy? Because we know that we must defund and abolish ICE. We must get ICE out of our cities. We must remove RFK Jr. from any public health position that puts lives at risk.
We must say out loud that vaccines work. We must fire Kristi Noem and Kash Patel. For their lawlessness and complicity in the crimes that we have seen committed right before our eyes, we must reverse Trump's disastrous tax cuts for the wealthy and instead invest that in relief for working families. And we must save Medicare and Social Security and expand funding for Medicaid. We don't need endless warfare. We need universal healthcare. Health care. We need Medicare for all. The real security Americans need is a livable future, affordable housing, free college, clean air, clean water, clean energy, and a Green New Deal. That is what we need. And we must impeach Donald Trump. We are not going to allow him to steal this election. We are not going to allow him to terrorize black and brown voters from going to the polls. We are going to stand up. We are going to fight. If he puts the Marines in the army out on the streets this October and November, we're going to come out by 10 million people, 20 million people, 30 million people, onto the streets of this country and shut this country down. For democracy, for our ability to have an election.
So this is not time to stay silent. This is a time to stand up and fight. When the minute men and minute women were taking on the most powerful military in the world, they were knocked down, they were knocked out, they got up, they fought, they won. When the abolitionists fought, they were knocked down, they were knocked out, they got up. They fought and they won. When the Suffragettes were out, they were knocked down. They were not knocked out, they got up. They fought and they won. When Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King began a movement, they were knocked down. They were not knocked out. They got up. They fought. They fought. They won. Same-sex marriage, universal health care. They were knocked down. They fought and they won. And we are going to fight. And we are gonna win. We are knocked down. We are not knocked out. This is a fight that we are going to win because we know in this country that this progress has never come from silence. It has never come from surrender. It has never come from sitting on the sidelines. It comes because people get up and they fight and they so that is what tonight is all about.
It has come from people, ordinary people, standing together and saying enough to corruption, enough to cruelty, enough to policies that sacrifice the vulnerable for the powerful because our power is not in the Oval Office, it is not a billionaire CEO's bank account, it is not a corporate boardroom, our power is in the movement. It's on the streets of this country. It's our voices, it's our votes, it's our willingness to stand together to fight for those who are most vulnerable in our society to fight for our democracy itself. So let's leave here tonight saying we're ready to organize, we're ready to galvanize, we are ready to fight not just for ourselves but for the generations to come because we will stand together and we will win. So thank you all so much for being here. And I'm going to read briefly a statement from Gladys Vega from Chelsea, Massachusetts, whose plane was stranded on the runway of Logan Airport and could not be here tonight. But she, this is her statement. As president of La Collaborativa, the largest Latin-led organization in Massachusetts, I'm grateful for the opportunity to address all of you tonight, even though I can't be there.
Based in Chelsea, Massachusetts, we represent one of the communities hardest hit by the cruel, unjust tactics of ICE. In communities like Chelsea, the disappearance of loved ones is occurring every single day. Fear paralyzes the daily lives of countless residents, including those that protected us during COVID-19. And currently sustain the economy. In our cities downtown and storefronts, they are quiet. And sidewalks are desolate, with local businesses grinding to a halt. The Chelsea School District reports a major decline in enrollment and widespread absences, resulting in a budget deficit that will deprive children of education for future generations. Housing and infrastructure projects are a priority of Massachusetts are collapsing, furthering unemployment and hardship. In communities like Chelsea, people are vanishing into thin air. Quiet mornings are punctuated by jarring violence. Students are assaulted by ICE agents sitting outside the high school. Hardworking residents are torn from their vehicles in front of their children. Families hopelessly search for signs of their loved ones who have stopped stop answering their phones, stop replying to texts, they frantically call hospitals, scour social media, and come to La Colaborativa. This is the message of Gladys Vega to America tonight. It is that this must stop.
This is un-American. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. And the people are going to rise up and fight for Gladys Vega and all of those poor people. Who today need to know that the people's State of the Union is the beginning of a long fight that is going to result in the end of Republican control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the United States of America in 2026. Thank all of you for being out here tonight. Thank you for your willingness to stand and fight. Thank you. Thank you. You're gonna get us that tariff money too, aren't you? Where's my check? I know. Where's my check? That's what the senator is doing. He's gonna get us our money because otherwise we don't get shit. Alrighty. So there's a Shakespeare saying. It's a quote that I have in my social media profile. It says, though she may be little, she be
fierce. And that's what we got with Congresswoman Becca Ballant from the state of Vermont. She put Pamela Joe in her place and then some just a week ago. And tonight she's joined by a very special guest, Mohsin Madwani. Now, Mohsin showed up for an immigration appointment, a citizenship appointment, and then was illegally detained for at least two weeks. Why? Because he dared to express a position that Donald Trump didn't like. And as we see our free speech, our journalists, our First Amendment under attack, the Trump administration is making one thing clear. It's only what he wants you to think and say because everything else will result in you being arrested, thrown into detention, But what happens is the rule of law when we've got judges in the rule of law doing what it's supposed to do, we have justice. Please welcome Congresswoman Becca Balint and Mohsen Madari. Hey, hey, hey. Nice to see you all out here tonight. We could not be more excited to be here with all of you. So I like to refer to myself as that scrappy little dike from Vermont. But tonight, I'm America's scrappy little dike. I have a bare knuckle brawler with a heart.
And that's what we need right now. We need people who are both going to bring the fight and they're going to do it with an open heart, with compassion for all people living in this country. So thank you for being here tonight. We are going to draw strength from each other. That's why we've come together tonight. Now, I know many people out here are feeling angry and you're feeling anxious and frustrated. I get it. This administration is trying to break us, but they can't because in the words of June Jordan, We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the ones. We are the ones we've been waiting for that are going to change the course, are going to turn the tide on this dark, dark time. It's us. It's not that man in the building behind me who spreads division and fear. It's us. It's in our hands. And it is our collective courage that is going to make the difference. So I wanted to be out here tonight with people who are forward looking, people who understand the stakes, and that we have to stand up for not just our individual rights, but for the rights of everyone across this country.
And we must be the light for each other. Don't lose heart. I am in the belly of the beast every day in Congress, and I have not lost heart. I have not lost heart. They will not break us. They will not break us because we understand that is our collective power. That is much more powerful than any intimidation that this administration will bring to bear. And I wanted to bring my friend Mosheh Madawi with me today because he has a powerful story to tell about standing up, not just for his own First Amendment rights, but for all of us. So I'm going to turn the microphone over to Mosheh so he can tell
you
his story, and you will understand why he is an inspiration for so many people, not just back in Vermont, but across this country. Mohsin, thank you for coming tonight. Please tell your story. Brothers and sisters, dear friends, my beloved community, It's an honor to be in union with you here. You, the American people, you are the people. It's also my honor as a Palestinian refugee, a descendant of the Nakba survivors, to stand
here in solidarity with and to carry the torch for justice and for peace with Congresswoman Becca Balint, who is also a descendant of Holocaust survivors, a Jewish woman. If there is light, this is part of the light. 12 years ago, I came to this country carrying with me not only the experience of living under the Israeli occupation in a refugee camp without freedom, never tasted the freedom or the safety, but also I came carrying with me my inner child, a child that was deeply wounded by trauma. At the age of eight, I buried my brother. At the age of 11, I saw my best friend getting shot and killed in front of my eyes. At the age of 12, I witnessed an Israeli strike that killed several people and shattered them into pieces. I collected their body parts in my own hands, peeling off skin off the wall and collecting fingers off the ground to put it in plastic bags to honor their lives. But I'm not here to talk about the darkness of injustice. I am here to talk about the light of hope and the light of love. And this is something that America has shown me when I came here.
In America, and for the first time in my life, not only I've experienced safety, and love, but also I found the American people who hosted me, who guided me, who helped me to heal from my inner childhood trauma. In America, I learned that the human being is not the enemy. The enemy is the system that capitalizes on fear, on ignorance, and on segregation. The fear that divides Republicans and Democrats, the people, the fear that divides citizens and immigrants, the people, the fear that creates monsters and creates division in America. And in America, I also learned what MLK has said, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And that is what we are witnessing here, that the injustice that this administration is causing, tearing communities apart, scaring people and inciting fear and intimidation, destroying the most sacred document in this country, which is the constitution of this country, and going and attacking us for practicing our First Amendment rights and our free speech is a form of injustice. And that the fight for justice in America, the fight to save this democracy, is interconnected with the fight for justice in Palestine for the Palestinian people.
Now, about a year ago, the Trump administration came after me during my citizenship interview, not for violating any law, but for speaking my truth, the truth from a place of love, from a place of empathy, from a place of compassion, My truth that I don't want to see children in Palestine or Israel or America or anywhere else to suffer like I've suffered when I was a child. During my citizenship interview and after they asked me if I'm willing to take the pledge of allegiance to protect and defend this country and to protect the constitution of this country. They were the ones who betrayed it. They detained me and took me out of there handcuffed and threw me in a prison. They thought that they will make an example of me and that they would intimidate me. And they were wrong. Because our fight is a just fight. Our fight in America and our fight for Palestinians and our fight elsewhere is a fight for humanity. And if we believe in justice, there is no power that can intimidate us. The tools of this administration is to scare us, to intimidate us, so we can lose sight, so we can lose vision.
But if we continue to unite together, and work out and connect and fight from a place of love, not a place of fear. They cannot do that. When I was released from my detention after spending 16 days, I came out and I sent a message to the president and his cabinet. And I told them that I will not be intimidated. And if you are feeling like me, unafraid, repeat after me: We the people, say it loud and clear, to President Trump and his cabinet, We are not afraid of you. Because the love that shines in our heart is much brighter and more powerful than the darkness of fear that's blinding you.
The people united will never be defeated.
The people united will never be defeated. The people united will never be defeated. Everyone, onward with courage. Every single one of us strive beyond what you think is possible. Give other people hope and inspiration. It is our collective courage that is going to get us through.
Thank you so much for being out tonight. All right, well done, well done, well done. All right, y'all. You guys got energy now. Listen, y'all good? Now, just in case you are feeling a little bit of FOMO and want to know what's going on over there, let me give you a quick briefing. Representative, basically bullshit. Donald Trump is wearing a lot of makeup on his hand.
Nobody knows why.
Diapers are probably in place to make sure that he does not have an accident. He has cited the Dow reaching 50,000. One person applauded. Have their money on that being Pamela Joe Bondi.
But before he even got a chance
to speak, representative Al Green of the great state of Texas. Now, I am not in favor of people attending that state of the union bullshit tonight. But the one man that I kind of wanted to be there was representative Al Green. And he showed up. And before Donald Trump could even get a word in edgewise or get to the stage, he held up a sign reminding Donald Trump that black people are not apes. Something you had to tell Donald Trump because he's not too bright. So what I will say to Representative Al Green, if Al Green, if you can hear me, I'm so when, come on, here it go, keep it going, whatever you, it's all right with me. Do not demonetize us YouTube. I know it's a song that's copywritten. Let's now bring to the stage one of the strongest voices for justice from the progressive caucus, the emeritus leader of the progressive caucus, a sister, a woman that has fought for justice, for equality, for the people from the other Washington, Washington state. Please give a healthy round of applause for Representative and she does
embody that
word representative, Pramilla Jayapal, and she is going to be, yes. And she is going to be joined by Lauren Hirsch, who is one of the leading legal voices fighting for the Epstein victims. Give them a round of applause. That Joy Reid can sing too. Hey everybody, it is so good to be with you. Thank you for being out here in the cold at the People's State of the Union. I really appreciate MoveOn organizing this tonight and all the people that are on the livestream across the country because this matters. It matters that we are out here and that we are not in that chamber. Because when we look at the people state of the union, people in Minnesota, in Illinois, in California, Oregon, who have stood up non-violently and with tremendous risk to their own lives, to this authoritarian regime that murders its own citizens in the streets and then lies about it, they are saying not on our watch. People are saying not on our watch to an illegal and unconstitutional administration that kidnaps and disappears immigrants of every status who call this country home. An immoral administration that incarcerates tens of thousands of immigrants including children, children in for-profit jails where 39 people have died In the one year that Donald Trump has been in office, we say not on our watch.
Working and poor Americans who watch while Donald Trump makes billions for himself and his billionaire buddies using grift and corruption and stealing from the American people, all the while stripping health care and housing from tens of millions of Americans and driving up trans kids across this country who are sick and tired of being bullied because it's not trans kids driving up your rent. It is the billionaires doing that. We are standing up for our trans kids across the country. And of course, the survivors. The survivors who are showing us exactly what courage and resilience looks like. My official guest for State of the Union is a constituent of mine who is an Epstein survivor who is in that building right now showing the strength and the face of courage to be in that building with Donald Trump speaking because they don't want him to not see them. They are demanding that they be seen because the survivors of this horrific global sex trafficking ring of Jeffrey Epstein's, the predators and the pedophiles who need to be brought to justice will be brought to justice because of the courage and the resilience and the voices of these brave survivors.
So yes, Donald Trump, we are out here instead of in there because our state of the union is strong because the people of this country are strong and we will not sit down, shut up, move on or be silenced. We demand that all the predators, the pedophiles, the grifters, survivors, the lawless agents, and you, Donald Trump, be brought to justice. It has been the honor of my life to work with real survivors in every single realm that we're talking about tonight. And tonight I have the honor to introduce a woman who has been an indispensable part of our Epstein survivor movement. Who has been working with the survivors to demand that the United States hold these predators accountable. Yes, we should lock them up. And to make sure that we prosecute them, that we bring them down, that we hold them accountable, just like we see in the UK and around the world. Tonight inside the chamber, Donald Trump will have to face those survivors, the same damn way that I forced Pam Bondi to face those survivors in the Judiciary Committee. And so please join me in welcoming the amazing, the strategic, the remarkable Lauren Hirsch, who is the co-director of World Without exploitation.
Lauren Hirsch, give it up for her. Well, that is a tough act to follow. I am so honored to be here tonight with you, and especially with you, representative Jayapal. This is one amazing woman who has stood beside these survivors through thick and and thin. And we will make sure that every single file is released. And I know that they're over there making sure that every file is released. And you have exhibited extraordinary leadership.
So thank you.
For 30 years, Jeffrey Epstein operated one of the largest sex trafficking rings in the world. It was a vast web of powerful men committing horrific acts of violence against women and girls, and it was in plain sight. For decades, our government didn't just look away, but they buried the truth, while survivors were forced to carry unimaginable pain in silence. But this summer, everything changed. In September, Epstein survivors came together and made something unmistakably clear: the days of powerful men operating with impunity are officially over. And it has been a wild six months. But now, we are in a serious moment of reckoning. Every day we're witnessing the untouchables collapse before our eyes. Prince Andrew is no longer a prince. He is no longer shielded by a royal title. And he faces criminal charges. Around the globe, Influencers who once hid behind wealth and influence and institutions are beginning to fall like a giant game of dominoes. We aren't quite seeing that here just yet, but I'm pretty sure I heard you. It's coming. And in this moment, when we're being told and they're being told, to move on and there's nothing to see. Survivors are doubling down and they are reclaiming their power.
They are at the State of the Union tonight and they are facing an administration who has betrayed them time and time again. To every survivor out there who refuses to disappear, You are changing history. Keep speaking your truth because the earth is shaking. Give it up for Lauren Hirsch and the survivors across this country. We will bring justice. Keep standing up, keep speaking out, keep building our movement because this is our democracy. Thank you, everybody. Have a great night. We even got a mic drop from the Congresswoman. So there's one thing that we've always demanded as Americans. We want consistency in the fighters that we have that are in DC. And the next speaker is someone who who did that for us when he was in the house. He's doing that for us as a senator once upon a time. There was a time when people had the courage, they could have convicted Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial. And we wouldn't have to deal with this now. And the man who led that charge was a congressman from California by the name of Adam Schiffs. And if there's anybody who understands what the rule of law is and the power of norms and institutions, it's Adam Schiff.
And now as a senator, even though felon Trump, because look, you can be a draft dodging, bone spurs convicted felon and still be in the Oval Office, Adam Schiff is now being targeted
by
the weaponized Pamela Jo DOJ. And yet Senator Schiff says, Hell no, I'm not going to do it. Jeanine Pirro, hell no too. We have Senator Schiff here tonight. He has a letter, and it's from Alejandro Barranco. He is one of the three Marine sons, right? He is a veteran and a son of a landscaper that we saw on video working hard, because only in Trump's America can you be working hard on a Saturday as a landscaper, get chased down by federal agents, and get your ass beaten. Right? Only in Trump's America. But Senator Schiff is here. He has a letter from Alejandro Barranco, one of three Marines in that family who have given everything in service of this country. To only in turn see their father be punished. Please welcome a true fighter to our stage, Senator Adam Schiff. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being out here in the cold. Thank you for speaking truth to power. I am very proud to join you. Tonight, the President stands under the Capitol Dome, claiming that our union is stronger
than ever. Of all the lies that he will tell in his long and rambling address, this may be the most painfully false. Due to his hate, his cruelty, and his indecency, We are more divided now than at any time since the Civil War. Trump's promises have all been broken. He promised to bring down costs, but inflation is up. He promised to bring back jobs, but manufacturing has fled. He promised to end trade deficits, but they have reached all-time highs. But no failure is more glaring more significant or more damning than his failure to bring our country together. In January of 2017, Donald Trump stood just a couple hundred yards from this place and took the oath of office for the first time, swearing to uphold the Constitution. As you recall, he painted a dystopian portrait of the country, which he described as American carnage. Little could we know at the time, it was less a portrait of the country as it existed then, as much as a prophecy of what he would seek to bring about in the future. For he has created chaos in our streets, masked heavily armed and poorly trained ICE agents and Border Patrol forces sweep through major cities, demanding to see people's papers.
In the United States of America, they are demanding to see people's papers. They have detained citizens and non-citizens alike, shot people dead through their windshields, and while laying face down in the street. When the courts have ruled against this administration's lawless conduct of its administration, raids their opinions have been ignored. When universities dare to protest, their federal funding has been cut. When law firms represent clients whose interests are adverse to the administration, they are punished. When media organizations speak truth to power, they are forced to pay him millions.
Personally.
All of this violates the oath the president took to faithfully administer the laws. To vigorously defend the Constitution. Thankfully, our founders gave us the tools to fight back against a man who would be king. And chief among those tools is one more powerful than all the rest, and that is the right to vote. And this November, this November, my friends, we must use that tool. We must vote. One man's story tells us why. On a Saturday afternoon in June in Orange County, California, a landscaper named Narciso Barranco was working outside an IHOP. He'd lived in the United States since the 1990s, undocumented, yes, but no criminal record, American in every way except for in his papers. In that time, he'd raised three sons, all U.S. Marines. That Saturday in June, a group of men approached, masked, in tactical gear, guns drawn. They tackled him, pepper sprayed him, beat him violently, dislocating his shoulder. They detained him, no food, no water, no medical treatment for 24 hours. When he was finally able to get in touch with his family over the phone, he had one request of his sons. He asked them to retrieve his landscaping tools and finish the job he was doing.
I wish just a few of my colleagues in that building on the other side of the aisle had the same dedication to their jobs, to their oath of office, to the Constitution of the United States. Narcisco Barranco asked his sons to finish the job. His son, Marine Corps veteran Alejandro Baranco, couldn't be here tonight, but he sent me this to read to you. What happened, he said, didn't just happen to an immigrant. It happened to an American family. Families across this country are living in fear, separated by a system that has lost its humanity. We can protect our laws without abandoning our values. We are here because America must be better, fairer, safer, and worthy of the people who believe in it. Now, just a few weeks ago, Narciso Barranco thankfully had his deportation case dismissed by a federal judge. But tonight we must all heed the words of Narciso Barranco. We must take up the tools our founders have given us to protect our democracy and finish the job. Between now and November, the President will make every effort to discourage Americans from voting. He will make it harder to register and turn out.
He may send ICE agents to polling places to intimidate our citizens. He will cast doubt on the results when his party loses. Our response must be to work harder, organize better, turn out higher than ever before. We must view every obstacle placed in our way as a challenge to be overcome with resilience with defiance as a gauntlet throwdown that we must pick up. The fight for our democracy is a fight worth having, for it is democracy that makes all progress possible. And it is a struggle we can win if we pick up the tools we have been given and finish the job. In November, are you ready to finish the job? In November, are you ready to throw the bums out? In November, are you ready to defend our democracy? In November, are you ready to push back to fight back and to save this country? Let us pick up the tools our founders gave us and let us finish the job. Thank you and God bless you for being here. Thank you so much. Thank you. All right, one more time for the senator from the great state, California. We love the Californians, but we now are going to turn to the great state of Illinois, which was one of the earliest cities to see the absolute terrorism being unleashed upon Americans and immigrants alike by ICE, by the secret police
being deployed by this regime. And one of the stalwarts in the great state of Illinois who has been fighting for the rights of people, for the humanity of the American people and our immigrant neighbors is one representative Delia Ramirez. And she is going to be here from the great third district in Illinois. Come on. And she is going to be speaking tonight in honor of Silverio, Keith, Renee, Alex, Linda, Rubin and the 38 lives that we have lost at the hands of DHS, including Illinois resident Nenko Ganchev. Please give it up for Representative Delia Ramirez. Folks, in five months, you're going to be really hot. Just remember that, okay? I'm trying to remind myself. For that. Well, hi, everyone. Buenos noches. As you heard, I'm la Congresista Delia Catalina Ramirez. And I soy la hija de Guillermo Gómez de la Parra, su admiradora de siempre. Yes, I said it in Spanish, because even
as the fascists seek to diminish,
to divide, and dehumanize us, we must remain powerful and defiant to fascists. You know, I talk a lot about the authoritarian playbook and how this administration casts the other as enemies, weaponizes fear, perpetrate corruption, and reward cruelty, and abuse executive power.
But tonight I want to talk to
you about the Trump and his administration and their abuse. They're abusing the power of government to prosecute dissent. They're abusing immigration enforcement to terrorize us. They're abusing detention to punish our neighbors. They're abusing the military to occupy our cities. They're abusing federal resources to enrich their donors, their campaign donors. They're abusing the justice system. To silence survivors, discredit victims, and avoid accountability. We need to see that everything that Donald Trump and his cronies are doing are interconnected abuse intended to intimidate us, to control us, and to try to destroy us. They want us small and they want us silent. And they've tried to silence us by choke holds, by full body restraints, by criminal charges, by care withheld, by reckless chases, by people disappeared and even executed. But let me tell you, today in that gallery, my seat is empty, representing more than the 40 lives we have lost to the violence of the Trump administration who want our resources, our freedoms, our lives to advance our imperialistic, fascist, authoritarian agendas. But here's the thing, they can try to persecute us, they're going to try to terrorize us, punish us, occupy and discredit us, but they will never ever silence us, am I right?
Because el pueblo unido jamas será vencido. We are the legacy of the leaders who looked at abusers in the eyes and refused to be silent and we fight back. So tonight I'm calling us to remember who we are. We are being targeted by a regime that wants to break our resistance, make an example of us. Because in fact, we are strong, we are powerful, and we are unafraid. We persist and we lift our voices. We defy their control because our resistance defies the state of the union. And here I can tell you that the state, the The force of the resistance is strong. So look, tonight, I'm not interested in moments of silence. I'm not willing to sit there silently while the abuser in chief lies, manipulates and gaslights the American people. I stand with the pueblo, with the people, the finally speaking the names of Silverio, Keith, Renee, Alex, Linda, Ruben and the 38 people who have died in ice detention since the start of 2025. I'm talking about Lores, Ever, Victor, Paradi, Luis, Geraldo, Luis, Nencho, Delvin, Far, Jean, Shiraz, Pete, Francisco, Kai, Gabrielle, Hassan, Leo, Miguel, Ruben, Noralan Ismael Santos Oscar Lorenzo Chufang My fingers, one moment.
Tien Isidro Johnny Jesus Avellardo Marie Non Brian Juan Maskeen Sara and Henry. Tonight I ask you to be as loud as you can and say with
me, we demand justice.
Say it with me, we demand justice.
We demand justice. And that is why we will melt
ice and dismantle the Department of Homeland Security. We will defend our democracy from authoritarians, fascists, and those who believe it's for sale. We will uphold our shared humanity from Chicago to Palestine to Congo. And that is just the beginning because we're going to build a future. A future where we're free from being priced out, defrauded, displaced or expelled. A future where we're free from exploitation, trafficking, deportation, detention, occupation and genocide. A free day from economic exploitation, poverty, slavery, income inequality, wage abuse, discrimination and intimidation. A day where we are free from the oppression and the inequity that have defined our community's experience of being American. So my ask for you today, America, neighbors, constituents, is that we demand more together. A future in which our rights and freedoms mean working people have every single thing they need to thrive. And are we ready for that kind of world? Are we ready for that kind of America? Are we gonna fight like hell for it? Because listen to me and listen to me loud and clear. We have the power to organize, to build coalition, to practice solidarity, to shift the narrative and to take care of one another because we're already doing it together in the people's state of the union.
Because the people and the power of the people is greater than the weapons that they would wield against us. So together, together, juntos, we will create a more just and more peaceful and loving world. And the key is Together, juntos, let's go. And let's apologize while we're at it, huh? Gracias. Alrighty, so those of you guys may remember that Donald Trump promised a lot of shit. When he ran.
One of them was what?
No more wars. And yet in the time that this guy's been in office, he's done some wackadoo stuff when it comes to our military. And no, it's not just DUI hag Seth that we're looking at. We're talking about felon Trump. There is a congressman from Connecticut. His name is Jim Himes. And he's on House Permanent Select Intel. And when I tell you that this is the man that is standing in the breach, that is making sure that Americans get transparency when it comes to this type of operations, it's Congressman Jim Himes. Tonight, he is joined by Madeline Beckett, who's based in Lansing, Michigan. And she lives in a mobile home park that's been bought out by Private equity, of course. Profits over people. Since that takeover, she's had unbelievable, horrible experiences, including huge unexpected fees, undrinkable water, and an end to necessary maintenance. How are we supposed to live? Please welcome to our stage, Congressman Jim Himes and Madeline Beckett. Thank you, Katie, and thank you all. Thank you, America. Thank you, resistors. Thank you for people of goodwill. Katie's exactly right. I spent a lot of time on national security, but what does it mean to have national security if we don't have housing security, if we don't have economic security, if we don't have dignity?
What does national security mean? I am so happy to be with you tonight because I caught the very beginning of that speech, and I heard President Trump say,
that we're the hottest country, that everything is fine, that people are richer and better and bigger than ever before. I don't know who he was talking about. Maybe he was talking about Ivanka. Maybe he was talking about Jared. Maybe he was talking about his billionaire cabinet members. But you know what? He wasn't talking about us. He certainly wasn't talking about Madeline. He wasn't talking about the tens of millions of people like Madeline Beckett of Lansing, Michigan, who, like so many Americans, worked 45 years, day in and day out, showing up for the job, raised a daughter, and now struggles to make ends meet in this richest, hottest country in the world. How does that work? You can't do much in this country if you can't afford a home, if you can't pay the rent, Too many of my constituents have given up on the idea that their kids might live in the communities in which they grew up. They have given up on the idea that they might advance and maybe save a little something for retirement or to educate their kids. Because we have a housing crisis in this country. We've got to build 5 million units just to get back to a place where Americans can afford housing.
And in the meantime, hard working middle class, true Americans and by true Americans, I mean people who go to work every single day and who at the end of the week worry a little bit about those bills who are coming in the coming week. Real Americans who understand what it is to live in this country and to work hard and to live with dignity are getting squeezed out. There have been a lot of politicians up here tonight, but we got to never lose sight of who it is that we're fighting for. And so for that reason, it is my profound honor to introduce you to Madeline Beckett of Lansing, Michigan. Madeline, thank you so much for being with us here tonight. Thank you. Thank you. This, by the way, is the first time that Madeline Beckett has spoken in front of a crowd, so we're going to help her along. Big round of applause for Madeline Beckett. Oh, my God. Thank you. There you go. That's fine. Thank you. Yes, I'm nervous. My name is Madeline Beckett. I'd like to thank all of you for having me here tonight. I'm very honored. I live in Windsor State's sub-manufactured home community in Diamondale, Michigan, just outside Lansing.
I'm here tonight because private equity has
stolen my retirement, turned my life upside down, and soon will leave me homeless. I spent 45 years working as a bookkeeper. I traveled a lot for my job, so living in manufactured communities has always been convenient and affordable. They were good places to live. They were safe. Neighbors looked out for one another. Upkeep was was easy, and we could count on maintenance by the park owners. The best Park I lived in was Windsor estates, which convinced me that's where I would go back to buy my last home. Last home that I'd get to pick. I made a financial plan to determine what I could afford, and I bought my last house in Windsor, and it was great. It was exactly what I hoped for and it was a good, good neighborhood. Then the private equities came along and the first place they bought was only there for six months. Then they bought to sold it to another firm, another private equity, and they took advantage of the fact that we're trapped. We can't move our homes. They raised the rent. They added all kinds of fees. They reduced their staffing. And they bleed people like me dry.
They're now charging us water, which used to be included in the rent. And that's over $100 a month. Plus we get to pay them an administration fee and pay for our trash, which also was included in our rent. Thank you. The best thing about it is we paid, excuse me, Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, we're the government subsidized the buying of our park with a loan from Freddie Mac. My tax dollars helped steal my retirement. After all the added costs, I am now on the verge of being homeless.
I don't have anywhere to go.
I started going to meetings of the local homelessness coalition to figure out what to do when I lose my home. I've had to take on a roommate at my age. Seriously? Every month I have to borrow money from a friend. I now owe her over $5,000. And I don't know how I'll ever pay her back. I don't even know how to properly thank her. Without her, I would be on the street right now. But I'm not going to sit back and take it. And neither are other people in the mobile home community parks all over Michigan and the country. If I can stand up now and fight back at my age, in my condition, Living on the edge of homelessness, you can too. Yeah. We need all of you here to put limits on how much these corporate landlords can raise our rents, and we need it now. We need to stop shoveling tax dollars to the predators, and we need to stop it now. And we need elected officials to grow up here and stand up for us. We deserve better. Thank you for listening.
Thank you, Madeline.
Do we think that Donald Trump knows about Madeline? Do we think he cares about Madeline? America is Madeline Beckett. That's who we're fighting for. Thank you, everybody.
Thank you. Thank you so much. One more time for the senator and for Madeline. That is who we elect people to fight for, right? Okay, now. Because all of you guys are just,
you guys are stalwart being out here in the cold.
First of all, can I big up that cat over there? Can we please acknowledge bringing a little of the Portland magic? We love a fairy tale creature.
I just want to thank you for being creative and being in this space. Please give a round of applause to the yellow cat, everybody, please. No King's Cat, no King's Kitty over there. We appreciate it. There was a person over here who had a toilet sort of set up that was very creative as well. Big it up to all the creative people in the house. Now I want to take you all to the great state of Arizona. Wouldn't you rather be in Arizona right now? Just pretend like you feel it. Feel Arizona in your spirit. Feel the warmth of the sun, right? Okay, we're gonna be warm in our spirits because we is cold as hell out here right now. But that's okay because coming to the stage are two people who you are really gonna want to hear from. Representative Yasmeen Ansari representing Arizona's great third district. And she is here with Sonya Almaraz. And Sonya Almaraz, I should say, Sonya Almaraz is the partner of Yadi Marquez, who has leukemia and who has suffered severe medical neglect for more than a year at the Eloy Detention Center in Central Arizona. These are literally the kinds of stories and nightmares that are taking place in the Trump Epstein era of the United States.
So please give a warm round of applause and show some love to Representative Ansari and to Sonia Almirez. Thank you. Oh, I'm gonna give you that. All right. Good evening, America. I'm Congresswoman Yasmine Ansari. I'm proud to represent Phoenix, Glendale and Guadalupe in the US House of Representatives. And tonight it is my absolute honor to be standing here with Sonia Almirez. Sonia's loved one is Yadi. Yadi is a lawful permanent resident, a green card holder who was stripped of her legal status by Donald Trump's racist mass deportation agenda. For over a year, Yadi has been locked up at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. Yadi has leukemia. When I visited her, she was too weak to stand. When I sat with her, I watched her vomit blood. And tonight, while Yadi suffers in detention, Donald Trump stands before Congress and lies to the American people. Donald Trump claims he is going after the worst of the worst and that is a lie. Yadi has no criminal record. Meanwhile, this administration and the Republican enablers in Congress handed ice a $75 billion slush fund to terrorize our communities with no accountability. And let's be clear about who built this machine.
Stephen Miller built Stephen Miller, the most awful human being, architected this cruel immigration agenda from the ground up. It is an agenda rooted in fear, rooted in hatred and the belief that some people simply do not belong. Masks, agents, violent raids without transparency, communities living in fear. That is not public safety. That is authoritarianism. And the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Nohm, oversees all of this. If a cabinet official allows this level of neglect under her watch, then she should be authoritarianism is when the government cages the sick. It is when cruelty becomes policy and it is when federal power is turned inward against our own people. My parents fled an authoritarian regime in Iran. They came to this country because America was supposed to be different. This country welcomed them. It allowed them to work hard and to build a better life. And in one generation, they watched their daughter become the first Iranian American Democrat ever elected to Congress. That is the promise of America. And I refuse to let it be dismantled. The real state of our union is whether people like Yadi are whether the sick receive care and whether human dignity still matters.
So tonight we say together, free Yadi. Free Yadi. Because she belongs here. She deserves care, she deserves dignity and she deserves freedom. Now I want to turn it over to Sonia who I've gotten to know through this horrific experience to share your and Yadi's story. Thank you, Congresswoman Ansary. I'm honored to stand with you
tonight
to expose Transreal State of the Union. Yadi is not a criminal, and for a year now, I have had to watch my health, her health, I am so sorry. For a year now, I have had to watch her health deteriorate at the hands of ice. Daddy has lost over 70 pounds. She's been coughing up blood for months on a daily basis now. She's too weak to stand. She has been diagnosed with lymphedema and arthritis on top of her cancer. And now relies on a walker just to move. Her suffering is preventable. Yet ICE has denied the basic medical care. We demand her medical release immediately. Let us get her back to health so she can continue to fight her immigration case. Thank you, Sonia. We will never stop fighting for Yadi. Give Sonia a round of applause and free Yadi. Free Yadi. Thank you so much, everyone. Have a great evening. We appreciate all of you still being out here. We know it's cold.
But this mission is very important.
We now have the privilege of being able to listen to Charlene Rochard, a model, an actress, and perhaps in her most important role, an advocate. She is a survivor of the horrors of Jeffrey Epstein. She has bravely spoken publicly about her experiences of being trafficked as a child, sustaining and suffering from the sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and the exploitation of her, and I underscore as a child. And yet the Republicans continue to want to hide from the American people and from the world the transparency that Charlene and the other Epstein survivors deserve. Charlene, this is your time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am grateful to Congresswoman Randall for welcoming me as her guest for the State of the Union. And I appreciate all of you for giving me the opportunity to share my voice tonight. Thank you. My name is Charlene Rochard. And I stand before you not just as a survivor, but as a mother, a woman, and a citizen who believes deeply in protecting the next generation. People often ask how I found the courage to speak publicly about something so painful. The truth is, I didn't find that courage alone.
For years, I carried the weight of my experience in silence. And then a longtime friend, someone who remembered the vivid details of my past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein, encouraged me to reclaim my voice. When I finally stepped forward to tell my truth, I found myself surrounded by a sisterhood of survivors who lifted me up. And reminded me that none of us walk this path alone. But I want to be honest about something that rarely gets said out loud. What happened to us didn't end when the abuse ended. Epstein's manipulation and coercive control changed the trajectory of many of our lives. Some of us went from thriving, working hard, building careers, feeling hopeful to being unable to work at all. Some fell into depression, some carried shame that was never ours to carry. For many of us, it has taken decades to overcome the impact of what happened. Decades to heal and decades to speak. And that is why I'm here tonight. I am speaking out because the next generation deserves better. Our children deserve a world where powerful people cannot harm others without consequence. They deserve a world where survivors are protected, not punished, for telling the truth.
They deserve a world where silence is not the price of safety. I also want to say something that often gets lost in the noise. I believe that most of humanity are good people. Compassion, love and peace are not abstract ideals but are lived values. I've seen them in the survivors who hold each other up. I've seen them in the advocates who refuse to look away. I've seen them in the people who quietly reach out and say, we believe you. Tonight, as we gather for the People's State of the Union, we are reminded that protecting children is not a partisan issue. It's a human one, and it requires all of us, including every community, every family, every survivor, every ally, to all stand together in unity. My hope is simple, that by sharing my story, I help create a space for others to share theirs. And that together we build a future where no child's life is derailed by someone else's abuse of power. And no survivor has to wait decades to be heard. Thank you for listening. Thank you for believing in survivors. And thank you for standing with us as we fight to protect the next generation.
Please, everybody, let's please support Charlene right now. And please just show her a round of applause for the courage. This is why we're fighting. Thank you, Charlene. Look, it got real on this stage, right? I mean, I think a lot of the time, Katie, people feel like politics is, it's just theoretical. It's just people giving speeches. It's just people talking. But these stories that you've heard tonight, this is the reason that we elect people to office because these are not theoretical problems. These are human tragedies and they're all man-made, orange man-made specifically. And what's happened to some of these folks, it is criminal. And somebody ought to go to prison for it. That's right. For abusing, it is unbelievable that we live in a country that has a Justice Department and so much injustice is being done under its nose.
This is shameful.
These stories that we've heard tonight, this should not be happening in the United States. Of America. And so this is not about speeches. This is about change. We have to stop this regime. We have to stop this regime. Joining us now, we are going to introduce four really important guests because we really want you all to take these stories in, okay? Exactly. Other countries are managing to hold people accountable and the United States of America is not capable of holding people accountable. We are creating concentration camps and letting people suffer and die incarcerated for no reason other than being brown.
Come on now.
Come on now. If we can't do better than that, I don't even know what to tell you. Let's introduce these guests, my friend. These are the voices and this is why we're here tonight at the People's State of the Union. The People's State of the Union. Dr. Troy Jacobs worked on maternal fetal health along with vaccines. You know the important stuff. Originally from Ethiopia, Dr. Jacobs came to the United States to improve our health outcomes for mothers and children, fired by the Trump administration during the doge cuts after the dismantling of USAID. We're also joined by Yvonne Rodriguez and Alice Goldberg, a music teacher who owns her own small business. Whose premiums jolted after Trump's big bullshit bill. And Marlon Ricardo Camacho, whose citizenship appointments were canceled by whom? By Christie Noem, because she's too busy flying around in her kajillion dollar jets. These are the guests. These are the people that you're supposed to be hearing from tonight, not from convicted felon Donald Trump. It's called y'all. Good evening everyone. My name is Yvonne Rodriguez. I work at the intersection of immigration advocacy and storytelling and I'm here on behalf of Annie Lucia Lopez Villarosa.
Annie was wrongfully deported while on her way to surprise her family for Thanksgiving.
She was standing in
the airport lobby waiting to board when agents scanned her ticket twice and claimed there was an error. Moments later, two ICE agents approached a handcuffed her and took her away. She spent the night in detention and less than 24 hours later, she was deported to Honduras, a country facing deep instability and in a place she has not called home since she was eight years old. Ani is a dreamer. She's a 19-year-old student pursuing a business degree at Babson College. She dreams of building a future not just for herself, but for others, opening her own business, uplifting her community, and supporting her family. Instead, she has been met with retaliation, fear, and attempts by the Trump administration in his vigilance to deport her loved ones and separate her family simply because she dared to speak out. Two weeks ago, a federal judge ordered the government to facilitate Annie's return to the United States by this Friday. The deadline is now just 72 hours away. And what has the government done? Only a request of a copy of her passport. No clear plan. No urgency, and no guarantee that she will be allowed to return safely to her family without being detained again.
Annie is not a case number. She is a daughter, a student, a leader, and a young woman whose future is being held hostage by the Trump administration's regime in cowardice. Annie asked me to share this statement with you all tonight. I'm going to read it first in English and then in Spanish. I want to come home.
I want to return to my school,
to my family, and to the life I have worked so hard to build. I have done everything asked of me, followed every rule, and still I was treated as if I did not belong. I refuse to give up on my dreams, and I refuse to be silent. I am asking for fairness, for dignity, and for the chance to continue the future I started in the only country I truly know as home. Now in Spanish: Quiero volver a casa. The government has a court order
the clock is ticking 72 hours and we will not be stop speaking until Annie is brought home. Thank you.
Good evening, Washington, DC. I'm Marlon. I'm coming from the great state of Connecticut. I'm son and also I'm an immigrant. I'm Cuban immigrant. That came to this country three years ago. I'm here talking on behalf of my dad, Moses Ricardo, that he came to this country 17 years
ago, escaping from a dictatorship in Cuba, which is crazy. Yeah, it's so tough regime. And now 17 years later, he, my dad, has to face another authoritarian regime in the US. So it's crazy. So 17 years later, my dad has been here working so hard, doing his best, fighting with the fire in California, helping people in the hurricane in North Carolina. Now the administration, then this Trump administration, told him that he's a threat for this country. And he cannot become a citizen because he's a There is nothing that can prove more that somebody is not a threat than 17 years working and supporting the country that he loves. I came to this country, he was the one that taught me to love the greatest nation in Earth, but that's not what we're seeing. As I said, I'm coming from a regime. It's so important to remark this. Castro and so many other dictators they didn't they were elected so those that said, okay, this guy is not a dictator is not gonna be a dictator because people elected no, that's not the point. He can do it. We are not gonna let him. That's for sure.
We are not gonna let this guy be a dictator. All right, we have two more two really good people behind us is gonna find it. And we have to support him, too. All right? How are we gonna do that? First of all, go and vote in. So we're gonna vote and we're gonna take all these people, haters, out of the Congress. And how also we're gonna. We're gonna continue fighting doing this, standing up. No regrets. Just push forward. Push forward. We got this. And I wanted to make sure that you guys understand all the people that talk about this is about criminals, this is about illegals. My dad is a green card holder for 17 years. He came here legally. No criminal record, but I don't want him to become a citizen because he's a threat. This is not about nothing like security or nothing like that. This is about Racism. If my dad would be why he's okay, but he's not. He came from a poor country that just was seeking happiness by so many other people and that made him a criminal, maybe. So, and I'm, you know, I'm so happy and glad to be here, being part of this great event, because we are the people of the State of the Union.
We are the people That's the most important part of this. We are the people. The people is America. America is not a president. America is not an administration. You guys are America. We are America. Hello. Good evening, people. It's been quite a marathon, right?
I am Dr.
Troy Jacobs. I am a pediatrician. I have had the joy and honor of being a pediatrician for 30 years providing high quality care, primary health care to children in the United States and around the world. I have also been doubly lucky for 17 of those years to work as a medical doctor at the U.S. Agency for International Development, working in both disasters and regular times, improving health care efficiency and effectiveness around the world. Unfortunately, this all came to an abrupt end in February of 2025 when I was in Ethiopia. While ensuring that life-saving child health care occurred. Things like vaccinations, sick care, nutrition, water and sanitation. What I have witnessed over the last year here in the United States is the impact of the current administration's added burden on families in terms of stresses, in terms of fears, and in terms of costs. Really a Trump health confusion tax on families. I see these disruptions and what they mean to families, including my own. People struggle with greater uncertainty, more fear, more red tape, more bureaucracy. Their care is fragmented. Children miss well-child visits, vaccinations, and routine care. Things that are wanted by their parents and deemed necessary by vetted science and best practices.
Families struggle deciding the right place and the right time for health care. Whether they should take their wheezing child to a grocery store clinic, urgent care clinic, their doctor's office, hospital emergency department, or sadly too often, they are dealing with these issues at home alone without any help. We shouldn't have to have a doctor or nurse in our family to be able to navigate the complexities of Medicaid, Medicare or our health plans. But increasingly, this is what the current administration expects of American families. We need to come out of the cold and darkness of the last year and double down on eliminating the administration's health confusion tax. We need to return to good science, evidence-based guidance, and good practice. And this includes including humans in the loop, people like parents, pediatricians, nurses, and other child health providers, so that we have a place where pediatricians, nurses, and parents are not overburdened with the administration's health confusion tax. Thank you. Hey, I'm Alice. My artist's name is Melting Virgo. I find myself here on stage tonight because my health care that I purchased through the Maryland Exchange went from $28 a month to $248 a month.
Last fall, before the federal subsidies were cut, I was beginning to look into buying my first home that could double as a lesson
studio, but that is just not a viable option anymore. But let me rewind. I earned my master's degree in energy and environmental public policy from the University of Maryland College Park. Go Terps. So naturally, I ended up becoming a self-employed piano and voice teacher. Since I work on the weekend and during after school hours, I spend a lot of time advocating for these policies that I care so much about. And sometimes my students I take notice when I come back a little sweaty. And one of them said to me one time, wait, we can do something about climate change? She's 12 and she didn't know. And that made my blood boil. A six-year-old just the other day turned to me and said, people are bad for the planet. I had to tell her, no, people aren't bad for the planet, but there are some people who are bad for the planet. And that is the billionaires who profit off of keeping us sick. They pollute our communities, predominantly black and brown communities, and then they make us pay the price. This administration is removing every single safety net imaginable just to turn around and give corporate welfare to the Epstein class.
Every time federal lawmakers say that we don't have money to fund public services like health care, they are lying. We can make high-quality health care, education, transportation, and housing accessible for everybody. We can balance our relationship with our environment through Indigenous leadership, and we must liberate everyone who's been abducted by ICE. This takes revolutionary optimism and it also needs real world organizing, which is why I recently joined my local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. No more doom scrolling. We must show up and create hope. One of the best ways I've found to create hope is to sing. I have a song that I wrote last summer in solidarity with with our neighbors who are being abducted by ice. It is in English and Spanish at the same time, and it needs some crowd participation. So I hope that you'll join me. And I'll also invite Joy up quickly to get this song going. And I'm putting her on the spot. She's never heard this song before. Okay, so I need you to hold down the underlying chant. We're gonna do that in English. Okay. It goes, they cannot imprison. Imprison us all they cannot imprison us all they everybody not imprison us all they cannot imprison us all they no prison incarcerated no prison incarcerated no prison incarcerated no prison incarcerated no plating in cars said Larnos at told us no plating in cars said Larnos at told us no plating in cars said Larnos at told us no plating in cars said Larnos at told us
Imprison us all.
Mm-mm. Hey.
Okay.
I think I did okay. You did amazing. Yes. You get an A. I don't give grades, though.
We just go on vibes.
And the vibes were immaculate.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Let's give another round of applause to all of these amazing, ass-kicking, sets to the community of the United States of America. This is what we want. Here's my suggestion. Maybe we should deport Donald Trump. What do you think? Keep all of these beautiful people and deport Trump. Katie Fain, how are we going to end this beautiful, wonderful evening? We're telling everybody who's here. Well, first of all, Joy and I want to say the following. We want to say thank you to the members of the press that are here. Yes. That have been here. Yes. In the cold, documenting this. This is important. So we appreciate all of you that are here, that have been here. We also appreciate all of you diehards that have stayed here. And everybody who's watching us on the live streams, go to so2sotu.org for what? No King's Day 3.0 March 28th. Thank you. Thanks for being here. I'm Katie Fang. I'm Joy-Ann Reid. And this is the People's State of the Union. Good night, everybody. Thank you for being here. We love you. Good night. And thanks to the Midas Touch and MoveOn.org. Amen. Give 'em a round. Thank you.
Thank you.
Good night.
MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action host the People’s State of the Union live from the National Mall in D.C. Hosted by Katie Phang and Joy Reid, the event will feature lawmakers alongside federal workers, immigrants, and Americans impacted by Trump’s policies.
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