House Democrats warned against "unforced errors" at Trump's State of the Union
· Axios
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is making one final push to shut down any flashy displays of protest inside the chamber during President Trump's State of the Union address, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Frustrations are still lingering among House Democrats over last year's speech, which was repeatedly disrupted by heckling, signs and walkouts.
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- Even some House progressives who participated in those demonstrations have acknowledged they were not highly effective.
- Several lawmakers have indicated that they still want to find a way to register dissent from inside the chamber, but Jeffries has worked to shut down those impulses.
Driving the news: At a closed-door caucus meeting held at the Democratic National Committee's headquarters Tuesday afternoon, Jeffries instructed his members to display "decorum," according to multiple sources who were present.
- The comment came after Jeffries did a review of polling numbers, sources said, with the Democratic leader telling his members not to make any "unforced errors."
- House Democrats have specifically been warned not to repeat last year's tactic of bringing signs to the speech, according to one House Democrat.
What to watch: The speech is widely expected not to feature the same kind of raucous disruptions that rocked last year's speech, with far more Democrats opting to simply boycott it instead.
- In an effort to appeal to their base without repeating what they see as mistakes from last year, Democrats are holding several counter-programming events around and during the speech.
- Some groups, such as the Democratic Women's Caucus, plan to color coordinate their outfits at the speech.