Democrats’ State of the Union Performance: A Stark Reminder of Party Divisions
By Jim Mishler | Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 1:15 PM EST
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said on Wednesday that the actions of Democrats who attended President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night amounted to a partisan embarrassment.
Lankford stated during an interview, “It was embarrassing what Democrats were doing. If they can’t stand up and cheer for the most basic thing—namely, that the United States government should protect American citizens from people not legally present here who are criminals—that should be baseline.”
He added, “That should not be an 80-20 issue; it should be a 100-0 issue. And Democrats just sitting there with their arms folded saying, ‘No, that’s not my purpose.’”
Lankford urged Americans to pay close attention to what was on display, calling the behavior of Democrats “a stark reminder of how far left the Democrat party has really gone.”
“This is little wonder many important issues are running into roadblocks in Washington with Democrats pushing against foundational issues of the country,” he said. “They’re inconsistent with the values of Americans. Americans don’t want to be divided on issues like crime and violence and the economy. They want a growing economy—and they want to live in a safe nation.”
Lankford noted that the display from Democrats showed where they are aligned: “That should not be partisan. And [Democrats] showed that it was last night.”
He accused Democrats of failing to help protect American citizens who should be first on anyone’s priority list, pointing specifically to Democrats imposing a partial funding block on the Department of Homeland Security due to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an example.
“That’s the kind of crazy this has really become,” he said. “We have 250,000 federal workers not getting a paycheck right now because Democrats are mad at ICE and ICE enforcement.”
Lankford also confirmed he is one of many members of Congress pursuing legislation to prevent any federal government shutdown based on partisan policy disputes.
