Wearing the colour of the suffragists, the Democratic women of the House put on a stunning display of solidarity during the State of the Union address
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump’s arch rival in Washington who sat behind him on the dais, led many in her caucus in wearing white to honour the fight for suffrage rights, which women earned 100 years ago in the United States.
Seated together, the bloc of women lawmakers sent a striking visual message, a challenge to Trump and how he and his administration have addressed issues important to women, such as equal pay, health care, and the treatment of the immigrant families.
“Tonight the @HouseDemWomen are wearing suffragette white to remind the president that we – and the rights our ancestors fought for – aren’t going anywhere,” tweeted House Democrat Val Demings.
Early in the speech, as Trump declared the state of the union to be “strong” and said the country was enjoying an “unprecedented economic boom,” some Democrats in white sat on their hands.
When Trump spoke of the “boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good,” it drew Republicans and some Democrats to their feet, but lawmakers including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old liberal rising star from New York, sat stone-faced.
