Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that during Tuesday evening&#8217;s State of the Union address, he had only one thought running through his head the entire time: &#8220;Don&#8217;t make a stupid face for two hours.&#8221;
Vance, who sat directly behind President Donald Trump with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) during Trump&#8217;s record-setting speech, knew that he was going to be on camera the whole time the president was speaking, and was absolutely set on not making a fool of himself.
WATCH:
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Vance: I have one thought in my head the whole time which is don&#8217;t make a stupid face for two hours, which is hard for me. <a href="https://t.co/zqkUWPZyXo">pic.twitter.com/zqkUWPZyXo</a>
— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2027078078241861707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The vice president revealed his &#8220;inner monologue&#8221; while speaking in Wisconsin on Thursday, saying that when congressional Democrats began saying and doing things in an attempt to disrupt Trump&#8217;s speech, he was worried that he might struggle with keeping a straight face.
Vance began by explaining that as he watched the events of the evening unfold — and as Democrats in the chamber shouted things at the president and one was even escorted out — he thought to himself what President Trump eventually said out loud: &#8220;These people are crazy!&#8221;
In that context, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVOzVPIgSUy/">he added</a>, &#8220;I have the best seat in the house in many ways. I&#8217;m sitting right next to the Speaker of the House, I&#8217;m sitting right behind the President of the United States, and I&#8217;ve got one internal monologue going on, one thought in my head the whole time, which is, &#8216;Don&#8217;t make a stupid face for two hours,&#8217; which is hard for me.&#8221;
&#8220;When you&#8217;re on TV for two hours, and the Democrats are doing crazy things — so I&#8217;ll give you a little lay of the land,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So to the left, my left, is all of the Republicans, okay, because I&#8217;m sitting right behind the president. And to my right is some Republicans but mostly the Democrats. So I see the reaction of all the Congressional Democrats, and it&#8217;s one of the most amazing things I&#8217;ve ever seen &#8230; they&#8217;re just scowling. They cannot clap their hands for a six-year-old who survived an attack from an illegal alien. What is that? What kind of a person can&#8217;t stand up and cheer for an innocent young girl who&#8217;s doing well and showing the entire country strength and resilience?&#8221;

Vice President JD Vance Speaks In Allentown, Pennsylvania

What Was Going Through JD Vance’s Mind When Dems Lost It At SOTU

Congress

Democrats

Donald Trump

JD Vance

Politics

State of the Union

President Trump&#8217;s State of the Union address last night went a whopping one hour and 48 minutes.
But the moments that mattered most happened when President Trump humiliated the Democrats.
Or more precisely, when they humiliated themselves.
The content of President Trump&#8217;s speech was not really the centerpiece of the night. President Trump, as I&#8217;ve said many, many times before, is a politician who does one thing very well and one thing not so well.
What he is great at doing is making it hard to vote for his political opponents. In fact, he makes it very hard to vote for his political opponents. He is excellent at shredding the people who face him down.
But when it comes to making himself more popular, that&#8217;s more challenging.
And so where Trump shines is in those moments when he can put in stark relief his own agenda and the agenda of the people who oppose him.
This is where Trump is simply masterful.
And last night, he did something I&#8217;ve never seen a president do before during a State of the Union address or really ever in a public address: He used the Democrats’ opposition to him, their anger at him, against them. He jiu-jitsued them in a masterful way.
President Trump knew for a fact that when he gave the State of the Union address, we would see the same spectacle we&#8217;ve seen before in years past. He would say something, Republicans would stand up and cheer, and Democrats would sit there and do nothing. They would sit on their hands at the very least.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2375-checkmate-omar-tlaib-humiliate-themselves-trump-soars-at-sotu?elementPosition=4&amp;row=6&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
In recent years, of course, Democrats have done more than that. Last year, during his State of the Union address, Democrats were dressed in white, color-coordinated to demonstrate that President Trump hated women or some such nonsense.
They yelled at President Trump from the gallery. They heckled him. They jeered at him. They did all the things that were unthinkable when we were growing up.
When representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina yelled, “You lie” at Barack Obama in 2009, it created a national firestorm. Now, we basically have people throwing rotten eggs at the president from the Democratic side of the aisle, and it&#8217;s considered perfectly normal.
But Trump knew what he was walking into. He knew how the Democrats would act — they would be incredibly performative, they would be obnoxious.
What he did was to take positions that are 80/20 positions. He said things that are easy to understand for the American people and that unify Americans.
And then he pointed at the Democrats over and over and over and said, why aren&#8217;t you clapping? Why aren&#8217;t you cheering? Why aren&#8217;t you standing up in unity?
Democrats hated George W. Bush, despised him. But when it came to the State of the Union address, they were politically savvy enough to understand that if George W. Bush said something that was generically good, they should stand up and clap.
They were politically savvy enough to understand that if the camera&#8217;s on you and the president says, “America is great,” you should probably stand up and clap, even if you don&#8217;t like that particular president.
Democrats have lost their minds thanks to Trump Derangement Syndrome, and so they have decided that it is more worthwhile for them to sit flat on their butts, while the president does unifying and obvious things.
Trump knew they were going to do this, and he decided to use that tactic against them.
This is where it helps that the President of the United States really understands TV. The president is a visual creature. He understands innately where to put cameras and how to light things. And if you&#8217;ve ever watched tape of the president in an interview, he will tell people in the room how to relight him from particular angles and where the camera should be placed for best effect.
He knew this was a great stage for him, and he also knew that the cameramen in the wings were going to be focusing on Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who made absolute fools of themselves last night.
If you&#8217;re the GOP looking for campaign ads, the president provided an enormous number of them for Republicans all across the country last night — as Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar screamed at him for saying baseline rational things, or as Democrats put on their sourest faces as he stated things such as “boys are not girls.”
Democrats sat there — while the president paid tribute to actual, honest-to-God American heroes — because they couldn&#8217;t bring themselves to stand up if President Trump so much as uttered their name.
The genius of what Trump did last night had very little to do with his policy discussion. Usually, the State of the Union address is a long list of policies, and it gets pretty boring. But last night, the president focused heavily on people in the gallery, which was smart because it allowed him to demonstrate that he is sympathetic toward human beings.
More importantly, it made Democrats look unsympathetic toward human beings.
If a Democratic president calls out an American hero in the wings, or somebody whose daughter was murdered, and pays homage to that person, it doesn&#8217;t matter if the president&#8217;s a Democrat — you get up and clap.
Obviously, Trump knew they weren&#8217;t going to do it. And so he played that for its full effect.
The shot over the bow from the president was when he overtly — in the middle of the speech — challenged the Democrats to stand in solidarity with Americans and not in solidarity with illegal immigration.
Democrats couldn&#8217;t bring themselves to do it.
Brilliant. Optically, it was a smart thing to do. Politically, it was a very smart thing to do.
Trump found the tool to use against the Democrats, and he used it over and over and over again. That is going to hurt Democrats. Because in the end, what people remember are moments when the nature of the opposition is made crystal-clear.
And no one, no one, does it better than Trump.

President Trump Delivers The State Of The Union Address

Checkmate At SOTU: Trump Did What He Does Best 

Ben Shapiro

Opinion

Republicans

The day after President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2026 State of the Union address, the hosts of ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View&#8221; first made it clear that they were not impressed with him, but then reserved some of their sharpest critiques for Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who &#8220;gave him his moment.&#8221;
Cohost Joy Behar complained that the whole thing had made her &#8220;furious and scared,&#8221; adding that she was &#8220;physically ill from it and more nauseous than usual watching him.&#8221;
WATCH:
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Sunny Hostin whines about Trump using the term &#8216;illegals&#8217; to accurately describe illegals and falsely claims everyone had stopped using it before Trump came along. She also complains that Democrats even attended the address because they looked bad: 
&#8220;That saying that people are… <a href="https://t.co/zqUlybiz1c">pic.twitter.com/zqUlybiz1c</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/2026697528079515709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Sunny Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, began her review by complaining that the president insists upon using the term &#8220;illegal&#8221; when referring to people who have entered the United States illegally.
&#8220;That saying that people are illegal, illegal aliens. That really matters,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We haven&#8217;t used that term for so long. Now it&#8217;s back in vogue. You are not illegal as a human being just because you&#8217;re undocumented, and so that for me, that felt dehumanizing to our immigrant population.&#8221;
Hostin then recalled a conversation from the day before — when Behar argued that Democrats should boycott the speech entirely to avoid giving Trump the appearance of legitimacy — and said that although she&#8217;d disagreed at the time, watching the president speak had changed her mind.
&#8220;Someone like Ilhan Omar, who fiercely is protective of Minnesotans and Somalians in particular, she gave him that moment that he wanted when the Democrats wouldn&#8217;t stand because he was calling people illegal aliens, they didn&#8217;t stand, and he called them crazy. They gave him all these moments,&#8221; Hostin complained. &#8220;They were used as props. It was disgusting.&#8221;

The View’s “Behind The Table” Podcast

WATCH: The Day After Trump’s SOTU Address, ‘The View’ Hosts Are Mad At Democrats

WATCH: The Day After Trump's SOTU Address, 'The View' Hosts Are Mad At ... Democrats

Media

Sunny Hostin

The View

Disclaimer: Mayflower cigars does not sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. If you are not at least 21 years of age, please do not enter our website. No U.S. government official or entity endorses Mayflower Cigars.
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles proudly repped conservative values and his Mayflower Cigars brand at the Capitol on Tuesday night for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union.
Knowles had the privilege of sitting in the chamber for Trump’s address as a special guest of House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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😎<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> <a href="https://t.co/HNTzuSvyXB">pic.twitter.com/HNTzuSvyXB</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2026434889340563616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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After the speech, Knowles joined Ben Shapiro, Andrew Klavan, and Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan to give some expert analysis on the night.
Knowles ripped Democrats for refusing “to really acknowledge” the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk when Trump introduced Kirk’s widow Erika. He also mocked Democrats for needing to be told by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to stay quiet during the speech.
The Daily Wire host and Mayflower Cigars founder said that attending Trump’s speech was much different than when he was in the chamber in 2024 for Joe Biden’s State of the Union.
“It was a much stranger experience,” Knowles said of the Biden address.
By contrast, Knowles called Trump’s speech on Tuesday night “extremely effective.” Knowles praised Trump’s “amazing set up line” when he asked Congress to stand up if they supported prioritizing Americans over illegal immigrants, and no Democrats stood.
Knowles made his own statement on the issue from his lapel — he wore an <a href="https://store.dailywire.com/products/ice-cube-pin?utm_source=editorial">ICE Pin</a> into the chamber, a bold show of support for the men and women enforcing America&#8217;s immigration laws and defending our borders. <a href="https://store.dailywire.com/products/ice-cube-pin?utm_source=editorial">Grab yours at the Daily Wire Shop</a>.
Before the address, Knowles said that Democrats have no intention of walking away from their embrace of radical leftism ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“They are going to be playing the moderate all the way up to November. They will not change any fundamental aspects of their ideology or their agenda,” Knowles <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ERetKWqViQ">said</a>. “They’re just going to grit their teeth and try to shut up … and keep their fists clenched until November, and if they do retake the House, you are going to see an explosion of leftism.”
Knowles wasn’t just smoking the libs on Tuesday night. Right outside the Capitol building before the State of the Union address, the Daily Wire host enjoyed a <a href="https://mayflowercigars.com/">Mayflower Dusk Toro</a> cigar that you could also be lighting up in your near future.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1049885 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_4412-432x576.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_4412-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_4412-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_4412-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_4412-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_4412-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/IMG_4412-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" /></div>
Check out Mayflower’s <a href="https://mayflowercigars.com/">wide collection</a> of cigars, including dusk, dawn, and dream. Each vitola is handcrafted, blended, and aged for and until precisely the right time. So whether you’re celebrating American greatness, like Team USA hockey’s gold-medal over Canada, or hoping to sit back and relax knowing that Democrats aren’t in the White House, <a href="https://mayflowercigars.com/">Mayflower Cigars</a> is just one more reason to enjoy this beautiful free country.
Disclaimer: Mayflower cigars does not sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. If you are not at least 21 years of age, please do not enter our website.
NOTE: Mayflower Cigars pays to write these articles to spotlight wins because other brands won’t.

Knowles – Mayflower

Knowles Lights Up A Mayflower And Smokes The Libs During Epic Night At Trump’s SOTU

Mayflower Cigars

Michael Knowles

U.S. Capitol

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) voiced his frustration on Wednesday after most of his party effectively sat on their hands during President Donald Trump&#8217;s State of the Union address, refusing to stand or even applaud issues he believes stretch across party lines.
Fetterman defended his own decision to applaud a number of key moments during Trump&#8217;s speech, saying he was always going to clap for the things he believed were worth applauding, regardless of the party of the person delivering the remarks.
WATCH:
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🚨 BREAKING: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) says he was one of the Democrats to stand up for Iryna Zarutska and Erika Kirk at Trump&#8217;s State of the Union
&#8220;Even Erika Kirk. Can&#8217;t we just be more kind to a WIDOW? How can&#8217;t we acknowledge that?&#8221; 💯
&#8220;I clapped for the family that lost… <a href="https://t.co/VMCMIBY8VC">pic.twitter.com/VMCMIBY8VC</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2026670101206814804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Fetterman noted that most of the Democrats in the chamber on Tuesday evening — those who did not attend an alternate event or boycott the evening&#8217;s festivities altogether — had chosen not to stand or applaud during Trump&#8217;s remarks, even when he discussed issues both parties wanted addressed.
&#8220;I clapped for a lot of those things &#8230; like I stood up and I clapped to recognize the family that lost their daughter, the Ukrainian girl that was stabbed to death in North Carolina,&#8221; Fetterman explained. &#8220;And I stood up, and I clapped for that political prisoner from Venezuela, you know, how you can&#8217;t celebrate those kinds of things. I also celebrated all the veterans that were in the audience as well.&#8221;
Fetterman went on to say that even when things got political, he still stood and applauded when he felt it was appropriate to do so.
&#8220;Like Erika Kirk, I stood up, and then I clapped for her &#8230; can&#8217;t we just be more kind to a widow?&#8221; Fetterman asked, noting that Kirk had just lost her husband — murdered Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk — very recently, and still had young children to care for. &#8220;How we can&#8217;t just acknowledge that?&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m always going to stand up and clap for things I agree with, like striking the Iranian sites,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And if I don&#8217;t agree with it or whatever, I&#8217;m certainly not going to yell and scream and disrupt the whole thing.&#8221;

Once Again, Fetterman Breaks With Theatrics To Stand For American Values

WATCH: John Fetterman Baffled As His Party Refuses To Stand Up For American Values

Charlie Kirk

John Fetterman

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger used her State of the Union <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzX4JF3SR8Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">response</a> to hammer President Donald Trump on everything from tariffs to border policy. The talking points weren&#8217;t invented, but they told a version of the story with some important chapters missing. 
Hours before Spanberger delivered her remarks, the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2026/02/radical-lefts-rebuttal-will-contrast-democrat-extremism-with-president-trumps-road-to-prosperity/">released</a> a detailed statement outlining what it described as her long record of opposing tax relief, border security, and law enforcement positions that directly undercut her claims.
Spanberger blamed rising costs on Trump’s trade policies, she estimated American families have paid more than $1,700 each in tariffs since he took office, which is in the range of other reported estimates. But the White House noted that Spanberger&#8217;s record showed no better, she opposed President Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced taxes for roughly 80% of American taxpayers, and supported Biden-era multi-trillion-dollar spending packages that economists warned would fuel inflation.
Governor Spanberger also said, &#8220;Even though the Supreme Court struck these tariffs down four days ago, the damage to us, the American people, has already been done.&#8221; It’s worth noting, however, that the Supreme Court said the president exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) when imposing sweeping tariffs, however, the court’s action did not nullify all tariffs instantly and wholesale, nor did it directly issue refunds or immediately undo all tariff collections. 
The ruling focused on the procedural basis for the tariff authority, not on a blanket cancellation of all trade levies, in fact, Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-hikes-his-new-tariffs-to-15-after-complete-review-of-scotus-decision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinstated</a> tariffs, invoking his authority under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.
Spanberger also accused Republicans of supporting “massive tax hikes,” yet her own record on taxes in Virginia tells a different story. Since taking office in January, the Democratic majority in the Virginia General Assembly, working closely with Spanberger, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-running-on-affordability-virginia-dems-push-for-nations-highest-income-tax?">introduced</a> dozens of new tax proposals, including measures to create new income tax brackets and expand taxes on investment income, potentially pushing the commonwealth’s top rate on investments to 13.8% — higher than even California’s.
Then Spanberger blamed Republican legislation, specifically the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” for threatening rural hospitals and stripping healthcare access. While rural healthcare access is a documented problem, primary data shows the issue long predates current congressional action.
The American Hospital Association, for instance, <a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2022/09/rural-hospital-closures-threaten-access-report.pdf?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that rural closures have occurred steadily and have been driven by structural challenges in rural healthcare delivery, with some of the highest closure numbers occurring while President Barack Obama was in office and during the COVID pandemic.
On public safety, Spanberger leaned heavily on her background as a former federal agent and CIA officer, portraying herself as a defender of law enforcement while accusing the Trump administration of unleashing “poorly trained federal agents” who arrest citizens without warrants.
Yet the White House statement highlights that Spanberger voted against the Secure the Border Act, supported pathways to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants, and twice voted to terminate President Trump’s national emergency declaration at the southern border. As governor, she also <a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2026/02/04/spanberger-ends-ice-agreement-involving-virginia-state-police-and-corrections-officers/">ended</a> Virginia’s cooperation agreement with ICE, halting information sharing with federal immigration authorities.
But what she fails to mention is that there have been no Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, or court findings confirming systemic illegality. Beyond that, immigration enforcement <a href="https://www.ice.gov/immigration-enforcement-frequently-asked-questions">operates</a> under civil, not criminal, warrant standards.
While Spanberger accused Trump of “sowing fear” through immigration enforcement, the administration countered that her policies prioritized illegal aliens over public safety, citing her refusal to condemn a Washington, D.C., crime bill that reduced penalties for violent offenders.
Spanberger said Trump is “ceding economic power and technological strength,” “bowing down to a Russian dictator,” and “making plans for war with Iran.” Those assertions bundle three distinct policy areas, none of which have verifiable wholesale policy reversals in official treaties or policy documents as implied.
The Trump administration has maintained sanctions and export controls on Chinese entities; however, recent trade rulings have directly challenged the presidential authority to impose tariffs without an explicit congressional grant. So, in a roundabout manner, it’s been the Democrats who have been ceding U.S. economic leverage against China. In Russia and Iran, U.S. policy continues to involve sanctions and diplomatic pressure. 
To conclude the pre-buttal response, the White House said, “Tonight, while President Trump highlights the successes of his America First agenda in slashing costs, revitalizing manufacturing, securing our borders, and delivering real relief — Spanberger’s response will only underscore her party’s commitment to the failed lunacy Americans rejected.”
Spanberger closed her address by urging voters to “reject this chaos” and return Democrats to power. But the contrast between her rhetoric and the documented record highlights the central tension of her response: sweeping claims delivered with certainty, while the underlying policy history tells a more complicated story. As Republicans argue, the question is not whether Americans are frustrated; it is whether Spanberger’s record reflects the affordability, public safety, and restraint she now claims to champion.

Press Conference Held To Discuss Congressmembers Stock Trading

FACT CHECK: Spanberger’s Claims And Lowlights In The State Of The Union Response

abigail spanberger

General

Democratic California Governor has once again offered an excuse for not contacting the family of a young girl whose life has forever changed after she was victimized by an illegal immigrant truck driver with a commercial driver&#8217;s license from the Golden State.
President Donald Trump brought Dalilah Coleman, 7, and her father, Marcus, as guests to his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. Dalilah was severely injured in a multi-car pileup in 2024, allegedly caused by Indian illegal immigrant Partap Singh, who was behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler with a California-issued commercial driver&#8217;s license.
Dalilah suffered a traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and developmental delay. She currently cannot eat orally and has to learn to walk again.
Marcus has repeatedly stated that Newsom has failed to offer his sympathies directly.
Dalilah&#8217;s father, who happens to be a truck driver himself, shared his frustrations with Newsom&#8217;s silence.
&#8220;How do you not see Dalilah? How do you allow politics to blind you from a five-year-old girl at the time whose life is forever changed, and your only answer is it&#8217;s the federal government,&#8221; Marcus told The Daily Wire.
“What happened to Dalilah is heartbreaking, and we commend her family for turning their grief into advocacy,&#8221; Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;While our Constituent Affairs team has no record of outreach from the Coleman family, we would welcome the opportunity to connect them to available state resources,&#8221; Crofts-Pelayo said.
Newsom&#8217;s office failed to respond to a follow-up question asking if he regrets handing the illegal immigrant trucker a commercial driver&#8217;s license.
Singh has since been taken into federal immigration custody.
Trump recognized Dalilah and her father Tuesday night as he highlighted a surge in illegal immigrant trucking crashes and vowed to address the issue.
&#8220;We will take care of this problem,&#8221; Trump said Tuesday. &#8220;We’re going to take care of this problem. We are not playing games. Dalilah — Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more. The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders, politicians, and California. Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life.&#8221;
&#8220;She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk, and she is here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man. Dalilah, please, you are a great inspiration. Please stand up. Thank you, Dalilah,&#8221; Trump said.
The Department of Transportation has threatened to withhold federal funding from Democratic states issuing commercial driver&#8217;s licenses to illegal immigrants. The Trump administration is currently holding up roughly $160 million from Newsom&#8217;s California &#8220;for failing to cancel over 17,000 illegally issued&#8221; commercial driver&#8217;s licenses &#8220;by the agreed-upon deadline of January 5, 2026.&#8221;
Newsom has responded by blaming the federal government for issuing work permits to illegal immigrant truckers.
Trump also vowed to enact legislation dubbed &#8220;The Dalilah Law&#8221; to ban states from &#8220;granting commercial licenses to illegal aliens.&#8221; Republican Indiana Senator Jim Banks will formally introduce the bill Wednesday afternoon.
&#8220;Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location,&#8221; Trump said.

Untitled design – 2026-02-25T112929.567

Newsom Makes Excuses As Father Pleads — Trump Spotlights His Child Injured By Illegal Trucker

California

Gavin Newsom

The State of the Union turned into a Rorschach test for how people view leadership and ceremony, as two Democratic members of Congress maliciously mocked President Trump.
On one side of the room — or rather, on the “State of the People” podcast — you had Democratic Representatives Robin Kelly and Yvette Clark, and they were not exactly feeling the vibe. Clark described the experience as “horrific,” cheerfully confessing she bailed on the speech early. Then you had Robin Kelly, who compared the whole thing to a Hollywood awards show. She mocked the President’s presentation of awards, saying, “It was like… You get a medal. You get a medal. You get a medal.” The implication there being that the gravity of these honors was somehow being diluted by the &#8220;showmanship&#8221; of the event.
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Democrat Rep. Robin Kelly laughs at and mocks American veterans who received the Medal of Honor during President Trump&#39;s SOTU speech. 
KELLY: “It was like an award show, you get a medal! You get a medal! You get a medal!”
Absolutely despicable. <a href="https://t.co/dIPgxZayJp">pic.twitter.com/dIPgxZayJp</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2026524672645378351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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But here’s the thing about those medals: the people receiving them weren&#8217;t exactly C-list celebrities getting a gift bag. We’re talking about E. Royce Williams, a 100-year-old Navy Captain who, back in 1952, took on seven Soviet MiGs by himself in a secret dogfight and lived to tell the tale. He finally received the Medal of Honor after seventy years of silence.
Then there was the heavy stuff — the real-world consequences of the current moment. Trump honored Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and the family of the late Spc. Sarah Beckstrom. These were West Virginia National Guard members who were ambushed and shot right in D.C. near the White House just months ago.
You had Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, who took three bullets to the leg while piloting the mission to capture Nicolás Maduro. And finally, Scott Ruskan, a Coast Guard swimmer on his first mission, who pulled 164 people — including an 11-year-old girl — out of those catastrophic Texas floods.
So you have this massive disconnect. On one hand, you have lawmakers like Kelly and Clark who see the ceremony as a mocked-up &#8220;Oprah-style&#8221; giveaway—a political performance they found so &#8220;horrific&#8221; they had to leave.
On the other hand, you have these astonishing stories of human endurance and sacrifice that the Trump administration is compelled to honor.
Most of us see heroes finally being recognized.
But the mean-spirited among us just see a guy they don&#8217;t like handing out trophies.

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Dem Mocks Trump For Honoring American Heroes At SOTU: ‘Like An Award Show!’

‘You Get A Medal, You Get A Medal’: Dem Mocks SOTU Honors While Trump Recognizes American Valor

President Donald Trump presented six of the nation’s highest honors during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, recognizing acts of military heroism and athletic excellence. 
Trump gave the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, to Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, a helicopter pilot wounded during the successful raid that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Slover was struck four times by enemy fire while preparing to land his Chinook helicopter at Maduro’s compound. 
“Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon Maduro&#8217;s heavily protected military fortress. This was a major military installation protected by thousands of soldiers,” Trump said. “While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle. And Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces.”
Trump also awarded the Medal of Honor to 100-year-old naval aviator Royce Williams, who fought in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, flying more than 200 combat missions. 
&#8220;In 1952, Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime,” Trump said of an encounter during the Korean War. “Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes. It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt. His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn&#8217;t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1049447" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049447" class="size-full wp-image-1049447" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760.jpg" alt="US First Lady Melania Trump presents US veteran Captain E. Royce Williams with the Medal of Honor during US President Donald Trump's the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images.</div>
Trump awarded the Purple Heart to Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, a National Guardsman who was seriously wounded in a shooting attack in Washington, D.C., before Thanksgiving. He also presented a Purple Heart to the family of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a National Guard soldier who was killed in the same attack. 
“With God&#8217;s help, Andrew has battled back from the edge of death,” Trump said. “He&#8217;s got a little work to do, but he&#8217;s doing great.”
The man suspected of attacking them was an Afghan national who was let into the country after former President Joe Biden withdrew American forces from Afghanistan. 
<div id="attachment_1049449" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049449" class="size-full wp-image-1049449" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460.jpg" alt="National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who survived a November 2025 shooting attack in Washington, DC, receives a Purple Heart as he is recognized by US President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="675" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-300x198.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-874x576.jpg 874w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-768x506.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images.</div>
Scott Ruskin, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer who saved 165 people during deadly flooding in Texas in July 2025, was awarded the Legion of Merit, a military decoration recognizing outstanding service. 
&#8220;It was Scott&#8217;s first ever rescue mission,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;People watched Scott from a distance, and they couldn&#8217;t believe what they were seeing.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1049451" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049451" class="size-full wp-image-1049451" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24: U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan and Milly Cate, a camper who was rescued by Ruskan during the flooding at Camp Mystic, attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump delivered his address days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration's tariff strategy, and amid a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf threatening Iran." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images.</div>
Trump also announced that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the top honor for a civilian, to Connor Hellebuyck, the goalie for the Olympic gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team. During the team’s 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the final, Hellebuyck recorded 41 saves, including a crucial third-period stop that preserved the victory. 
<div id="attachment_1049453" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049453" class="size-full wp-image-1049453" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124.jpg" alt="Goalie Connor Hellebuyck raises his gold medal as members of the US Men's Olympic hockey team are recogized by US President Donald Trump as he delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images.</div>
&#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor Hellebuyck,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor.&#8221;
Trump said only around 12 other athletes have been given the Medal of Freedom in the past.

Trump Salutes American Heroes With Nation’s Highest Honors

Medal of Honor

Nicolas Maduro

As President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, the Democratic Party — a group currently possessing the collective emotional stability of a toddler denied a juice box — decided that the best way to save “democracy” was to skip the Capitol and head to the National Press Club for an event they unironically titled the “State of the Swamp.”
And how, you might ask, does one properly protest a sitting president in 2026? By dressing up as <a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/state-of-the-swamp-a-democratic-led-counter-programming-during-president-trumps-state-of-the-union-address-at-the-national-press-club-in-washington/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1JDMlFTSkFFVkhCOQ?previouslyViewed=dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1JDMlFTSkFFVkhCOQ&amp;position=1">inflatable frogs</a> and six-foot giraffes, of course. Because nothing says “serious political movement” quite like a man in a yellow-spotted felt neck ranting about “Pumpkin Spice Satan.”
The guest list was a literal Who’s Who of people who haven&#8217;t processed a single event since 2016. Robert De Niro was there, presumably to mutter &#8220;tough guy&#8221; platitudes into a microphone. He was joined by the usual suspects: Stacey Abrams (still the &#8220;rightful&#8221; Governor of Earth, one assumes), Jim Acosta (who surely brought a mirror to admire his own bravery), Don Lemon, and the ever-aggrieved Mark Ruffalo. Even George Conway and Joyce Vance showed up, likely to ensure the legal implications of wearing a polyester amphibious suit were properly analyzed for MS NOW.
The &#8220;highlight&#8221; of this menagerie was Robert Potylo, known as “Robby Roadsteamer.” Fresh off an <a href="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/anti-ice-protester-dressed-in-giraffe-costume-is-released-from-custody?utm_source=chatgpt.com">arrest</a> for being a public nuisance in Minneapolis, Potylo appeared in full giraffe regalia.
Yes, a giraffe.
Between nonsensical riffs on &#8220;Mr. Tangerine Man&#8221; and complaints about ICE agents with &#8220;two weeks of training,&#8221; the Giraffe-in-Chief announced a revolutionary plan to fight the administration: Bingo. They were going to &#8220;storm the White House with love&#8221; and, presumably, a winning card of G-42.
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This is what Democrats are doing instead of attending President Trump&#39;s State of the Union speech.
Democrats are literally hanging out with deranged Leftists dressed in giraffe costumes bragging about getting arrested by ICE. <a href="https://t.co/hMIUHrmrHy">pic.twitter.com/hMIUHrmrHy</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2026483234096206179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-of-the-union-2026-democrats-boycott/">tried</a> to frame this circus as &#8220;silent defiance,&#8221; the visual reality was anything but silent — or dignified. The room was filled with &#8220;frog-themed swag,&#8221; a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/24/democrats-boycott-trump-state-of-the-union-peoples-sotu">nod</a> to the &#8220;Portland Frog Brigade,&#8221; because apparently, the Left has reached the stage of grief where they simply identify as pond life.
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Oregon Senator Ron Wyden praises Portland anti-ICE &#8220;patriots&#8221;: &#8220;the uni-cyclers, the naked bike riders, the guy in the chicken suit, and a whole lot of frogs&#8221; while Trump gave the Purple Heart to two National Guardsmen, living and dead. <a href="https://t.co/9dCj0CaSTW">pic.twitter.com/9dCj0CaSTW</a>
— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/libbyemmons/status/2026652263385645470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gestured wildly about Constitutional trajectories, and former Trump staffer Stephanie Grisham performed her nightly ritual of professional repentance, the rest of the country watched a president speak. Meanwhile, the &#8220;Resistance&#8221; was busy adjusting their inflatable flippers and worrying about whether their giraffe necks would clear the chandeliers. If this is the &#8220;State of the Swamp,&#8221; the drainage is clearly overdue.

State of the Union Portland Frog Brigade

GIRAFFE REBELLION: De Niro, Inflatable Frogs, Headline Unhinged Democrat ‘State Of The Swamp’ Circus

Congressional Democrats refused to stand during President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night State of the Union address when he asked lawmakers to show support for prioritizing American citizens over illegal immigrants. 
“I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.&#8221;
Republican lawmakers stood while Democrats remained seated. 
&#8220;Isn&#8217;t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;That is why I&#8217;m also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal aliens.&#8221; 
That moment was one of several throughout the night when Trump confronted Democrat lawmakers for refusing to stand. 
Later during his speech, Trump introduced Sage Blair, a Virginia teen who was taken from her parents after they declined to support her &#8220;assertion of a male gender identity,&#8221; <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/who-is-sage-blair-trump-state-of-the-union-11575541">according</a> to a counselor&#8217;s testimony. Blair ultimately returned to her parents following a lengthy legal battle. 
“Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents&#8217; will. Who can believe that we’re even talking about it? We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately,” Trump said.
That line drew applause from Republicans, while Democrats remained seated. 
“Look, nobody stands up. These people are crazy. I’m telling you, they’re crazy,” Trump said. 
At another point in the address, Trump spoke about the murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on a bus in Charlotte, North Carolina. The man accused in the killing has an extensive criminal record. Democrats remained seated when Trump introduced Zarutska&#8217;s mother, Anna, and vowed to get justice for her daughter. 
“Mrs. Zarutska, tonight I promise you that we will ensure justice for your magnificent daughter, Iryna,” Trump said, earning support from Republican lawmakers. 
“How do you not stand?” Trump asked, gesturing toward the Democrat side of the chamber. 
The moment earned criticism from other Republican lawmakers.
“If Democrats couldn’t stand for Iryna Zarutska’s grieving mother last night, they won’t stand for any victim. She wept feet away, and they stayed seated,&#8221; Rep Mark Harris (R-NC) told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Their silence says it all: Democrats care more about criminals than victims.” 
Democrats also remained seated as Trump highlighted his administration&#8217;s border security efforts and record stock market gains in the last year. Trump’s address broke the record for the longest State of the Union in history.

‘How Do You Not Stand?’: The Jaw-Dropping Moments Democrats Remained Seated At SOTU

Executive

Illegal Immigation

Iryna Zarutska

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