'Stand Up': With One Maneuver, Trump Tries to Box In Democrats

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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/us/politics/trump-state-of-the-union-scene.html

‘Stand Up’: With One Maneuver, Trump Tries to Box In Democrats
President Trump turned his State of the Union address into full-blown political theater, handing out medals to war veterans and tossing the spotlight to ice hockey players.
By Shawn McCreesh
Feb. 25, 2026 Updated 9:00 a.m. ET

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“Tonight,” the president continued, “I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. 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.”

Democratic lawmakers stayed in their seats. This was obviously what Mr. Trump was hoping might happen. “You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,” he pronounced triumphantly. The Republican side of the room erupted on cue.

The president’s ploy changed the energy inside the House chamber. At that point, what had been a mostly dutiful State of the Union address morphed into full-blown political theater. It was part game show, part cage match — which is just how Mr. Trump likes it. When he wasn’t handing out medals to war veterans or tossing the spotlight to ice hockey players and victims of violent crimes perpetrated by immigrants, the president was slamming the Democrats as “sick,” America-hating, election-meddling thieves.

Mr. Trump introduced a young woman named Sage who is at the center of a lawsuit over how her school handled her gender identity. He used Sage’s story to do some political jujitsu on the Democratic side of the room.

“We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately,” he said of states recognizing gender transitions among young people without parental consent.

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Expect Republicans to follow this strategy for the midterms