U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, both D-Hawaii, responded to President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address since returning to office in uniquely personal fashion on Wednesday.
Trump spoke to the joint session on Tuesday, delivering an expansive, 100-minute pitch for a new "golden age of America" and a recitation of the bold steps his administration has taken — many under the consultation of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency — to carry out that vision.
The unusually raucous session included jeers from Democratic members, signs with messages of disapproval and resistance, the ejection of U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, for repeated interruptions, numerous walkouts and other expressions of dissent.
Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus wore all-pink to protest Trump policies that they say harm women and children. No caucus member drew more eyes than Tokuda, who wore a pink suit jacket that she personally emblazoned with “We the People” and passages from the Constitution, including Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, which requires the president to “faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States.”
Tokuda later dismissed Trump’s speech as a collection of inaccuracies, outright lies and intentional misrepresentations designed to draw support for his agenda and justify cuts to essential programs like Social Security and Medicaid.
The representative has been particularly outspoken in her criticism of the administration and of the seemingly outsize influence of Musk. In another colorful display earlier in the week, Tokuda spoke at a rally outside the Department of Housing and Urban Development protesting the proposed sale of public housing, at one point exclaiming, “Hey, Elon! Get your (expletive) hands off of our housing!”
In a statement released on Wednesday, Case also called out Trump for what he characterized as “by far the most divisive, polarizing and destructive” of the 11 SOTU addresses he’s witnessed as a member of Congress.
“It could and should have been an appeal to our country and world about we and us together,” Case said. “It could and should have been about the real, everyday problems facing Americans, like the cost of living and saving Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It was none of that.”
Case, who has consistently preached bipartisan cooperation during his Congressional tenure, reiterated his position that Democrats and Republicans ultimately need to work together to meaningfully address issues like immigration, crime, the economy and national defense.
“I will continue as a member of a separate, independent and coequal branch of government to work with this administration and its supporters in Congress where I can and to oppose them where I must,” he stated. “My door will also continue to remain open to anyone who shares a commitment to rising above our differences and actually working together to find a better way.”
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.
