Senate Democrats weigh skipping Trump State of the Union speech

EXCLUSIVE — Senate Democrats are grappling with whether to leave their chairs empty later this month when President Donald Trump travels to the Capitol to deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term.

Senior Democrats have been having “general discussions” about whether to skip the address on Feb. 24, according to Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), who, along with several other senators, is undecided on whether to go. There have been individual conversations within the caucus, but Durbin and other committee leaders discussed the topic for the first time formally on Wednesday at their lunch, according to multiple senators who attended.