‘Squad’ member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., used a whiteboard to deliver real-time responses to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. While other Democrats held up pre-printed signs, Tlaib scribbled several messages throughout the evening.
As President Trump delivered his 100-minute-long speech, Tlaib scribbled several messages on a mini-whiteboard, including, ‘No king!,’ ‘What about the immigrants that worked for you?,’ and ‘That’s a lie!’ Tlaib’s actions seemed to be against House Democrat leadership’s wishes, as several reports say that party members were urged to not use pops and to show proper decorum.
The ‘Squad’ member’s whiteboard and keffiyeh-like jacket garnered a slew of reactions. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Sc., called Tlaib the ‘poster child’ of Trump derangement syndrome (TDS), a term coined online that refers to those who automatically reject anything that comes from Trump.
Additionally, Rep. Mace tweeted an apparently photoshopped image of Tlaib with a blank sign and encouraged her followers to ‘fill in the blank.’ Unsurprisingly, this became a pattern with several social media users posting memes of Tlaib and her whiteboard with various phrases poking fun at the congresswoman and Democrats.
Some criticized Tlaib for wearing a keffiyeh-like jacket, pointing out that one of the guests attending the joint session was Noa Argamani, who was taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and was rescued by Israeli troops in June 2024.
Tlaib was not the first Democrat to disrupt or protest the president’s speech. The first protest sign of the night was held up before Trump even reached the front of the chamber. As Trump walked into the room and lawmakers flocked to the aisle to greet him, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-Nm., held up a sign reading ‘this is not normal.’
While Rep. Stansbury held her sign in silent protest, the first real interruption occurred when Rep. Al Green, D-Tx., began heckling President Trump less than 10 minutes into the address. Rep. Green objected to President Trump saying he was given a ‘mandate’ after winning the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Democrats were widely panned for their behavior over the course of the evening, with many calling them out for not applauding several of the guests Trump highlighted in his speech. This included DJ, a young brain cancer survivor who dreams of being a police officer, and the mothers of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray, both of whom were killed by alleged illegal immigrants.
Meghan McCain said she was ‘disgusted’ and that the lawmakers needed to ‘get a grip.’
Meanwhile, Fox News Channel contributor Ari Fleischer said the Democrats were ’embarrassing themselves’ with the displays.
In addition to the signs and lack of cheers, multiple Democrats walked out of the address, some wearing political shirts. One of them was Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fl., who wore a shirt with ‘No kings live here’ written on the back. Others held up paddles throughout the speech that were reminiscent of the one Tlaib used to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Messages on the paddles included ‘Musk steals,’ ‘Save Medicaid’ and ‘False.’