PoliticsStephen Colbert Blasts Democrats' 'Silent Defiance' of Donald Trump
Stephen Colbert slammed Democrats ‘silent defiance’ during Donald Trump’s State of the Union.
March 2 2026, Published 4:22 p.m. ET
Stephen Colbert didn’t just skewer President Donald Trump’s State of the Union this week — he also turned his fire on Democrats, zeroing in on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ call for “silent defiance” during the speech.
Going live after the address on The Late Show, Colbert recapped the night with his signature bite, admitting he wished he had been among the more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who chose not to attend. “I wish we were one,” he joked.
'Silent Defiance' or 'Doing Jack Squat?'
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for 'silent defiance' during the speech.
For Democrats who did show up, Jeffries had offered two options at a press conference in advance: “to either attend with silent defiance or not to attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion.”
Colbert wasn’t impressed.
Stephen Colbert called this ‘silent defiance’ a bold rebrand of ‘doing jack squat.’
“For Democrats who did attend, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged his members in the chamber to not make a scene, an approach he dubbed silent defiance,” Colbert said. “Which I believe is a bold rebrand of ‘Doing jack squat.’”
He then twisted a civil rights icon into the punchline: “As Martin Luther King once said: ‘Shhhh.’”
Colbert blasted the strategy as political passivity at a moment that demanded more visible opposition.
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The Democrats Who Stayed Home
Several democrats who skipped the address attended a rally dubbed the ‘People’s State of the Union.’
Colbert also highlighted those who skipped Trump’s address altogether, including Sens. Chris Murphy, Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley. He riffed on their names in rapid succession, tossing out absurd variations like “Merk Manly-Manly Merken,” “Mork and Mindy,” and “Marky Mark and Meghan Markle.”
Several Democrats opted instead to attend a counterprogramming rally dubbed the “People’s State of the Union” near the Lincoln Memorial. Organized by MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action, the event focused on criticizing Trump’s first year back in office and drew a slate of Democratic senators and representatives.
A smaller group, including Sen. Ruben Gallego and Rep. Jared Golden, also skipped the address without attending the rally.
Breaking the Silence
President Donald Trump criticized Democrats for not applauding him.
Not everyone followed Jeffries’ guidance. During Trump’s speech, Rep. Ilhan Omar audibly interrupted as the president criticized Democrats for not applauding him and disparaged the Somali community in Minnesota.
“You have killed Americans! You should be ashamed!” Omar shouted.
The moment punctured the chamber’s decorum and underscored the tension between visible protest and strategic restraint.
Colbert — who said he followed Michelle Obama’s advice to “get high,” joking that he took an edible before watching — made clear where he stood. For him, “silent defiance” wasn’t worse than ineffective television; it was politically hollow.
In a night filled with partisan theater, Colbert’s sharpest barb wasn’t reserved for the president — it was aimed squarely at the opposition.
