Multiple Democratic lawmakers confirmed to the Washington Examiner that leaders did not issue specific guidance on whether the caucus needed to attend Trump’s address in the House chamber on Tuesday evening. In a “Dear Colleague” letter, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said the decision will be a “personal one” but urged a “strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber.”

“The House as an institution belongs to the American people, and as their representatives we will not be run off the block or bullied,” Jeffries wrote.

This joint address to Congress will be a new test for Democrats on how they respond to Trump and Republicans in a way that can appeal to the voters they lost in historic droves during the 2024 election. 

The Democratic rebuttal, given this year by Sen. Elisa Slotkin (D-MI), will be particularly important. Democratic strategist Brad Bannon told the Washington Examiner that Slotkin should emphasize the relationship between Elon Musk and Trump, as well as communicate that Democrats are concerned about the issues voters cared about in November.

But eyes will also be on the members inside the chamber to see how they behave and whether they can present a unifying message that will regain the favor of working-class people with whom they missed the mark.

Dozens of Democratic women are planning to wear pink, a “color of power and protest,” to Trump’s address, Time reported on Monday. This is a contrast to last year, when Democratic women wore white, a nod to the suffragette movement, and “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” pins to former President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

Some, like Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT), have opted to skip the address and do what she called “alternative programming.” Balint will join Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) in boycotting Trump’s speech, with the liberal congresswoman arguing she won’t be missing anything new.

“I attended the inauguration so I basically know what to expect in this speech,” Balint said. “And it’s not going to be a unifying message in any way, shape or form.”

Balint added that she hopes things will not “degenerate into antics” and that Democrats who attend will show up as the “adult in the room.”

Democrats have a history of leaning into theatrics when it comes to Trump. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) famously ripped up a copy of the president’s State of the Union address during his first administration.

Bannon said it’s important that the caucus ensures there are enough Democrats at the address “to express their displeasure” and “resoundly criticize” the president on things like the economy and inflation — two of the top issues voters cared about during the 2024 election.

“Job claims are spiking, inflation’s spiking, and Democrats will plan on dealing with those issues and fighting with those issues, while Trump is fighting the culture wars and giving tax breaks to bankers and millionaires,” Bannon said when asked how the party should respond.

Democratic strategist Jon Ravish said the best strategy Democrats can lean into is “sharp, persuasive counterpoint that dismantles and dismisses the party in power.”

But boycotting is not the answer, either, he said, noting that Republicans did not boycott during the Obama and Biden administrations.

“You show up and you do your job, and part of doing your job and showing up is to attend whenever the President addresses the American people,” Ravish said. ‘Like, be smart at how you respond, but like, don’t look childish, don’t look like an idiot.”

Many Democrats are using this opportunity to invite and spotlight guests whom Democrats say are being affected by harmful Trump administration policies. Among the attendees are federal workers impacted by the thousands of layoffs, as well as Americans who would be affected by any cuts to Medicaid or the other federal agencies getting slashed by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Ravish questioned whether lawmakers bringing federal workers as guests is the best move — but if they do, he said, they need to showcase them properly.

“It is Democrats’ forever problem that they seem to think that a beltway messaging strategy will somehow persuade people or mobilize people outside the beltway,” Ravish said. “Look, most Americans are not deeply immersing themselves with exactly the blow-by-blow of what happens in the beltway.”

“Democrats are bringing recently fired veterans. Democrats are bringing fired authorities on bird flu. Democrats are bringing dismissed scientists who are researching cancer cures. Democrats are bringing with them fired FAA safety authorities…it’s not ‘Democrats are bringing federal workers,’” Ravish said. “Then you lose people.”

Much of the electorate that cost Democrats the election in November will now be the main target to reach as messaging for the 2026 midterm elections amps up, and any rebuttal will need to be strategic and solely focused on winning back voters they may have lost to Trump last year. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told the Washington Examiner she thinks Democrats should highlight how the administration is “policing working people” and criticize GOP plans for Medicaid and Social Security.

“So long as we are laser focused on that, that the services and the things that American people benefit from the most are going to get eroded the most in order to pay for a massive tax cut for the wealthiest people and billionaires in this country, the better off we are,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Ocasio-Cortez, who entered Congress as a firebrand progressive but has moved center over the years on key legislative issues, said she is unsure if she is attending the address as of Monday evening.

Ahead of the address, the Democratic National Committee put a spin on the GOP’s beloved “Promises Made, Promises Kept” slogan and released several notes on the way Trump’s promises were broken over the last two months since he was inaugurated.

The DNC pointed out Trump’s low approval numbers, accusing him of abandoning people “left behind” for billionaires like Elon Musk — a common talking point thrown around by Democrats since the start of the new Congress.

“Staring down the threat of a Trump Recession, the American people will not hear solutions for any real problems they face,” the DNC wrote in a lengthy memo on Monday. “Instead, they will hear from a man bought and paid for by fat cat billionaires. They will hear excuses for his failure to deliver on the promises he made to the American people. They will hear the hollow words of a president who is as malicious as he is incompetent.”

But the results of the 2024 election showed that Democrats have a messaging problem, even when it comes to speaking to their own party.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin met extreme scrutiny when he released a five-page memo attacking Trump’s administration but failing to offer concrete ways for Democrats to push back — something the party has been desperately looking for since last November.

In a post to X, Democrats released a crowded bullet-point post of their February accomplishments. But that, too, was met with backlash as many social media users noted that lengthy posts do not perform well with young viewers. So much so that content creators for the Democrats are now encouraging people to reach out with comments and ideas.

GOP BALKS AT DEMOCRATS CARING ABOUT INFLATION: ‘FAKE OUTRAGE’

Jeffries said there will be “multiple engagement opportunities” on Tuesday for lawmakers to interact with “legacy press and news media outlets, platforms, and social media influencers” — another sign party leaders are looking to widen their base to appeal to the younger generation. Democrats will also host an event on the Capitol steps on Wednesday and launch hearings on Thursday for Americans who “rely on Medicaid for their healthcare.” 

“Right now, the administration is about grift, grafts and gimmicks, that’s what they’re doing right now,” Balint said of her hopes for Tuesday. “And so, I want to make sure that we’re drawing that strong contrast.”

Lauren Green and Samantha-Jo Roth contributed to this report.