President Donald Trump gave a speech to Congress on March 4, 2025, in what was described as the longest State of the Union-style address ever. His speech lasted 99 minutes, and afterward, Fox News commentator Brit Hume called it the most “partisan” speech of Trump’s career. Conservative columnist Tom Nichols criticized the speech, saying Democrats should have walked out together to show their disapproval.
Nichols, a former professor at the Naval War College and an analyst for The Atlantic, said Trump’s address was filled with false claims, exaggerations, and what he called a “carnival of lies and stunts.” Nichols believed the speech was extreme and should have raised concerns about Trump’s ability to lead the country.
Trump used the speech to praise his cabinet, though Nichols called it “some of the strangest, and least qualified, members in American history.” He argued that while the speech was long, it lacked meaningful content, and Trump mainly focused on statements designed to please his Republican supporters.
“The president’s address was so extreme, so full of bizarre claims and ideas, exaggerations and distortions and lies, that it should have called his fitness to serve into question. He preened about a cabinet that includes some of the strangest, and least qualified, members in American history. Although his speech went exceptionally long, he said almost nothing of substance, and the few plans he put forward were mostly applause bait for his Republican sycophants in the room and his base at home.”
Nichols pointed out that some Democrats in the audience booed and hissed during Trump’s speech, especially when he made personal attacks, like calling Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “Pocahontas.” He suggested that when Trump insulted Warren, Democrats could have left the room together, making a strong statement about their opposition to his disrespectful behavior.
Though Nichols admitted he wasn’t initially in favor of dramatic protests, he believed the Democrats missed an opportunity to send a clear message by staying seated. He argued that instead of reacting with anger, confusion, or boredom, they should have made a bold move to stand up for American values and the rule of law.
“I’m not a fan of performative protest, and initially I thought the Democrats who chose to attend the address made the right call,” he wrote. “But when Trump referred to Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts as ‘Pocahontas,’ they could have left en bloc, declaring once they were outside that they would take no part in any further demeaning of the House chamber—or, for that matter, of American democracy. Instead, they sat there and took it, their opposition to Trump a kind of hodgepodge of rage, bemusement, boredom, and irritation.”
Nichols concluded by saying that America doesn’t need a “resistance” or empty slogans. What’s needed is an opposition party that defends the nation’s principles and the rights of its people.
