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Several Democrats have invited survivors of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, while dozens of others plan to boycott the speech entirely in protest.
Roughly half a dozen Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have arranged for Epstein survivors or their family members to be seated in the House chamber for Trump’s nationally televised address.
The move comes as Trump and the Justice Department face intensifying scrutiny over the partial release and redaction of Epstein-related files — a process that survivors and advocates say has fallen short of transparency. The Justice Department maintains it has complied with legal requirements.
Survivors and family members as guests
Reps. Jamie Raskin and Suhas Subramanyam announced they will host Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused Epstein and several powerful men of sexual abuse before her death last year.
Rep. Ro Khanna, a co-author of the Epstein Transparency Act that compelled the Justice Department to release millions of pages of records, has invited survivor Haley Robson as his guest.
Some Democrats said they will wear pins during the speech calling for the full release of the Epstein files, framing the issue as one of accountability for the powerful.
Other guests highlight broader grievances
Beyond the Epstein case, Democrats are using the speech to spotlight a range of policy disputes with the Trump administration.
Rep. Ilhan Omar invited constituents affected by immigration enforcement actions, while Rep. Brad Schneider is hosting a business owner who successfully challenged Trump’s emergency tariffs in court.
Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus attending the address said they plan to wear white, a nod to suffragists and a symbol meant to underscore women’s political power.
Boycotts and counter-programming
At the same time, dozens of Democrats are expected to skip Trump’s speech altogether.
At least 45 House and Senate Democrats plan to boycott the address, according to an ABC News count. Many will instead attend a counter-event on the National Mall organized by MoveOn.
Branded the “People’s State of the Union,” the event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will feature Democratic lawmakers, activists and people MoveOn says are “most impacted by Trump’s chaos.”
A strategic split
Despite the protests, most congressional Democrats are expected to attend the address — reflecting a strategic divide within the party over how best to confront Trump during a high-visibility moment.
Jeffries has urged members to avoid disruptions after Rep. Al Green of Texas was ejected and later censured for shouting during Trump’s joint address last year.
“The two options that are in front of us… are to either attend with silent defiance or to not attend and send a message,” Jeffries told reporters last week.
Trump’s address comes as Republicans prepare to defend narrow House and Senate majorities in November’s midterm elections, which historically favor the party out of power.
Democratic response
Following Trump’s speech, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response. Spanberger flipped the governor’s mansion from red to blue in 2025 after campaigning heavily on affordability and cost-of-living issues.
“We are at a defining moment in our nation’s history,” Spanberger said in a statement, citing rising costs and instability facing American families.
Sen. Alex Padilla will deliver the party’s Spanish-language response.
