The wearing of white clothes has been done several times in recent years to quietly protest presidents or to bring attention to certain groups of people.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — President Donald Trump is addressing a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night for his first State of the Union address in his second term.
Given that it is a State of the Union address, most members of Congress are expected to be in attendance. During this year’s address, some Democratic members of Congress are expected to quietly protest the president by what they wear.
How wearing white is protesting the president
Democratic women and their guests are expected to wear “suffragette white” to confront President Trump. The women of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus and their guests, including some survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, are planning to dress in all white for the State of the Union, modeling themselves after the early 20th-century women who pressed for the right to vote and other rights.
Democratic Rep. Jill Tokuda of Hawaii said, “Tonight, when Donald Trump looks out into the chamber, he will see a wall of white.”
Some lawmakers are also wearing pins that express support for Epstein survivors and call for the release of case files on Epstein that do not redact information on his associates.
“We are standing here in solidarity so that we are not forgotten,” said one of Epstein’s survivors, Sharlene Rochard.
This is not the first time clothes have been used to protest a president
During Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in 2024, the Democratic Women’s Caucus wore white outfits for women’s rights as well as “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” pins.
“Our message is clear: women must be able to access the health care they need to control their own lives and futures. That means women, not politicians, should be in charge of whether, when, and how to start or grow their families,” Democratic Women’s Caucus chair Lois Frankel said in a news release. “That includes access to birth control, access to abortion, and access to IVF.”
During Trump’s State of the Union address in 2020 women in Congress wore white to “stand against President Trump’s dangerous policies” and “make sure the voices of women and families are heard.”
Historically, the suffragettes of the 20th century wore white to protest their right to vote. Their efforts led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting them that right.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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