Nancy Pelosi warns Democrats ahead of State of the Union: 'If you want to walk out, don't come in'

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published 30 January 2018

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned House Democrats against disrupting President Trump at the State of the Union on Tuesday, telling the caucus that "if you want to walk out, don't come in," Politico reports. A number of Democrats are still planning to protest in subtler ways, including Pelosi, who is bringing a young undocumented immigrant as her guest. Other Democrats have decided against attending the address altogether.

Pelosi's comments are apparently intended to head off a viral moment, like in 2009 when Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted "you lie" at then-President Barack Obama. "Let's see if [Democrats] do something equally silly," Politico Playbook wrote in a Tuesday morning preview of the State of the Union.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.