Rep. Clyburn says Democratic disruptions during Trump's speech would 'play into the president’s hands'

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said during an interview on Tuesday that any potential disruptions from Democrats during President Donald Trump's address to Congress would play right into Trump's hands.

CNN host Kate Bolduan asked the lawmaker, "Do you think disruptions are what your constituents want, or do you think disruptions tonight plays into the president’s hands?" 

"I think it will play into the president’s hands. I would hope we would not have disruptions. Have demonstrations, you can demonstrate. You know, I‘m a product of the '60s. I believe sit-ins were very effective. I have advocated us sitting in tonight, go, everybody show up. Get in your seats. And when he‘s introduced, sit in," Clyburn said. 

"Don‘t demonstrate into his hands. But illustrate how displeased we are with this administration. And I believe that we could do that by sitting on our hands, rather than playing into his hands," he added. 

THEME OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS REVEALED

Rep. Jim Clyburn advised Democrats against disrupting President Trump's speech on Tuesday during an interview on CNN. (Screenshot/CNN)

Axios reported Tuesday that some far-left Democrats have been advocating for major disruptions at the event, ranging from outright walkouts to using noisemakers to drown out Trump's speech.  Some of the more moderate ideas floated reportedly include carrying egg cartons to highlight costs, carrying protest signs, and coordinating outfits.

"The part that we all agree on is that this is not business as usual, and we would like to find a way — productively — to express our outrage," one lawmaker told Axios.

Democratic leaders reportedly encouraged members in closed-door meetings this week to keep their protests civil, however, with many arguing that major outbursts would only help Trump.

"There are definitely a lot of constituents that really want Democrats to disrupt and there are constituents who feel like that just plays into his hands," another lawmaker told the outlet.

WHO IS ELISSA SLOTKIN, AND WHY DID DEMS CHOOSE HER FOR THE PARTY'S REBUTTAL TO TRUMP SPEECH?

President Donald Trump speaks during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The president is scheduled to speak before all members of Congress on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

The forum is not officially a State of the Union address, which traditionally comes during the second, third and fourth year of a presidency.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., invited Trump earlier this month to address Congress on Tuesday.

Some Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., have planned to boycott Trump's address, and will hold a prebuttal of the speech instead.

"I think that State of the Union speech is going to be a farce. I think it's going to be a MAGA pep rally, not a serious talk to the nation," Murphy told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

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U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Ct., speaks during a press conference following the Democrats' weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol building on January 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, will join Murphy for the prebuttal of the speech that will be livestreamed while Trump is speaking.

At least one House Democrat, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., also said that he is going to be skipping the address. 

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Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.