By openly choosing illegals over citizens, Democrats star in the GOP ads to defeat them

By Gary Abernathy

On Tuesday, Democrats’ pure hatred of Trump led them to fall into the simple trap he set, a gift to the GOP this fall

President Trump issued a challenge to lawmakers assembled for Tuesday’s State of the Union speech to stand if they agreed with the following statement: “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

It was such a simple and basic “well, of course” sentiment that I sincerely thought, watching on TV, that even most Democrats in the room would feel obligated to stand and applaud in agreement. The “first duty” — not necessarily the “only duty” — is certainly to protect American citizens, right? I was frankly shocked to discover that not a single Democrat could manage to stand and applaud that basic fact.

Yes, I expected a small handful of Democrats, led by the likes of Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, to remain seated, because I have come to believe that they do indeed care more about illegal immigrants than American citizens.

But also remaining seated were virtually all other Democrats, letting their hatred of Trump undercut a public demonstration of what should be the most basic of principles for members of Congress: American citizens are our first priority.

Yes, it was a “gotcha” moment orchestrated by Trump, but are Democrats sincerely that inept? They could have stood and applauded and taken away his ability to chide them. Later, they could have explained their view that, “Yes, the first priority of the government is to protect our citizens, but that doesn’t mean we have to round up and deport hardworking immigrants without due process.”

But they did not do that. They simply sat glumly, stone-faced, willingly taking part in TV ads that will be effectively used against them in the upcoming midterms. Their participation in their own undoing appeared so voluntary — and so carefully adhering to the GOP script prepared for them — that it should qualify them to at least collect scale, the minimum union rate for actors appearing in a movie or TV show.

To lend further help to Republican efforts to overcome traditional losses in a president’s first midterm, Omar started heckling Trump, yelling that he was a “murderer.” I didn’t see it shown on TV, but Tlaib reportedly wore a pin that said “F- - - ICE.” What does it take for a member of Congress to be censured or at least reprimanded these days? Apparently a lot.

When Democrats chose to remain frozen in their seats, Trump — probably ecstatic at their complicity with his simple plan — was ready, telling them, “You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Democrats were not even willing to stand for the mother of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, whose fatal stabbing in Charlotte, NC, was widely circulated on video last summer. Nor did they rise for Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk.

Again, Trump looked at the glum-faced Democrats and asked, “How do you not stand? How do you not stand?” On and on it went all night.

Yes, the stand-or-sit routine has been a game played by both sides for many years now. But smart politicians know when to pick their spots, and understand that there are some things you simply stand up and cheer for even if you hate the president who’s asking you to do it.

American citizens in general? Stand up and cheer. The grieving mother of a murder victim? Stand up and applaud. The widow of an assassinated young man? Show some respect. Gold medal-winning U.S. hockey team? Get off your seat. Don’t let the camera catch you sitting, glowering or smirking as the president extols the virtues of people who Americans in general appreciate, admire, empathize with or even love. (Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) later said he stood for some of the people Trump introduced.)

According to a CNN poll, Trump was effective on Tuesday, with 64% having a positive reaction to the speech. Perhaps more telling is that before the speech only 44% of respondents said Trump had the “right priorities,” but after the speech that number jumped to 54%.

By many measures, including historic trends, the 2026 midterm elections should be good for Democrats. But letting their hatred for Trump get the best of them could well turn the tables.

James Baldwin, the novelist and civil rights leader, wrote, “Hatred, which could destroy so much, never failed to destroy the man who hated.”

Based on their actions Tuesday night, Democrats could well be on their way to becoming the instruments of their own destruction.

Gary Abernathy is an award-winning journalist and columnist with a long career in news media and politics, including as a contributing columnist for the Washington Post and a frequent analyst on PBS NewsHour. He is the author of “MAGA Republican Are Already Normal — And Other Shocking Notions.” Never miss an update from Abernathy Road, where Gary offers opinion and analysis about political and cultural developments.