WATCH: 'You killed Americans,' lawmaker says as Trump asks Congress to stand for protecting citizens
#State of the Union#Donald Trump#Immigration policy#Political confrontation#Federal agents shooting#Congressional response#Minnesota incident#Protection of citizens
📌 Key Takeaways
Trump called on Congress to stand for protecting American citizens over illegal aliens
Republicans stood and applauded for two minutes while Democrats remained seated
Trump berated Democrats for not standing during his address
The speech occurred amid ongoing political battles and legal challenges to Trump's policies
📖 Full Retelling
During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, President Donald Trump asked members of Congress to stand if they agreed with the principle that 'the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens,' prompting a confrontation when at least one Democratic lawmaker shouted 'you killed Americans' in reference to two citizens shot by federal agents in Minnesota. As Republicans stood and applauded for two minutes, the unidentified Democratic representative's outburst disrupted the moment, with Trump responding by berating Democrats for not standing, saying 'Isn't that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourselves.' The exchange highlighted the deep political divisions in Washington as Trump sought to rally support for his immigration enforcement policies. The president's address came after 13 months of aggressive deregulation, numerous executive actions, mass layoffs, and controversial immigration tactics, all of which have defined his administration's approach to governance. Despite these efforts, Trump faces significant challenges including a recent Supreme Court decision striking down his sweeping tariffs, an ongoing partial government shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, and persistent questions about the Jeffrey Epstein investigation that continue to overshadow his administration's accomplishments.
🏷️ Themes
Political polarization, Immigration policy, Government accountability
Annual report by the president of the United States
The State of the Union address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation. The speech generally includes reports...
Immigration law includes the national statutes, regulations, and legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as naturalization and citizenship, although they are sometimes conflated. Countries frequently maint...
President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
Born into a wealthy New York City family, Trump graduated from the...
By — Hannah Grabenstein Hannah Grabenstein Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: 'You killed Americans,' lawmaker says as Trump asks Congress to stand for protecting citizens Politics Feb 24, 2026 11:09 PM EST President Donald Trump asked members of Congress to stand during his State of the Union address Tuesday if they agreed with the "fundamental principle" that "the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens." Watch the full clip in our video player above. While Republicans stood and applauded for two minutes, at least one Democratic lawmaker in the room shouted "you killed Americans," a reference to two citizens shot and killed by federal agents in Minnesota in January. Speaking over the shouts, Trump berated Democrats for not standing, saying "Isn't that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourselves." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Trump's address comes after 13 months of break-neck deregulation, a record number of executive actions, mass layoffs, aggressive immigration tactics and more. Ahead of the speech, Trump was expected to outline his administration's accomplishments, make his case for keeping his party in power this November and celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's independence. At the same time, a number of pain points have threatened to overshadow Trump's positive messages during his primetime speech. On Friday, the Supreme Court delivered a major setback to Trump's agenda when it struck down his sweeping tariffs. A partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, brought on by Democratic opposition to Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement, see...
