President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday delivered many memorable moments. From awarding the Medal of Honor to American soldiers, to recognizing the U.S. men’s hockey team, the president’s record-setting speech was a big night.
Speaking from the U.S. House of Representatives chamber, Trump used much of his speech to discuss border security and illegal immigration.
The president talked about how his administration has secured the southern border and stopped illegal aliens from crossing into the country. Trump also spoke about Americans who have been harmed by illegal aliens who entered the United States.
While speaking about illegal immigration, the president initiated a remarkable moment of audience participation. That moment yielded a shocking response from Democrats.
Partway through his speech, Trump asked the audience of Republican and Democrat lawmakers to stand if they agreed with the following statement: “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
The Republican side of the House chamber immediately stood and applauded. However, the Democratic side of the chamber stayed seated. Among those who stayed seated during this moment were a group of Minnesota Democrats.
After reviewing footage of the chamber at that moment, Alpha News confirmed that Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Angie Craig, Rep. Kelly Morrison, Rep. Betty McCollum, and Rep. Ilhan Omar stayed seated.
WATCH: Every Minnesota Democrat in attendance at the State of the Union — Amy Klobuchar, Angie Craig, Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison, and Betty McCollum — refuses to stand when President Trump says: "The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not… pic.twitter.com/b9MfpxU8uz
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) February 25, 2026
Minnesota’s other DFL U.S. Senator, Tina Smith, was not in the House chamber during the president’s speech on Tuesday night.
Republicans who stood and applauded during this moment did so for a sustained length of time. Eventually, Trump turned to the seated Democrats in the room and said, “You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Alpha News reached out to all five Minnesota Democrats who refused to stand during that moment. However, none of them immediately responded to media inquiries.
Klobuchar, who is serving in her fourth term as a senator, is currently running for governor of Minnesota. Meanwhile, Craig is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Smith.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
