By Matthew Reichbach
U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury was one of the Democratic members of the U.S. House who decided to attend President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night, but she also had another plan.
While President Donald Trump was entering the chamber where members of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and their guests sat, Stansbury held a sign that said, “This is not normal.” Someone in the chamber ripped the sign from her hands.
After this, Stansbury joined a handful of other Democrats who walked out of the speech in protest of the Trump administration’s actions during the first few weeks of his second presidential term.
“Fifty years ago, Members of Congress held a walkout of the 1975 State of the Union in protest of the corruption of the Nixon Administration and the Watergate Scandal,” Stansbury said in a statement afterwards. “Tonight, we walked out in protest of the unprecedented attack on our democratic institutions and in solidarity with the millions of Americans who will be impacted by this Administration and the policies of the GOP-led Congress.”
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich was among the Democrats who boycotted the speech, saying “I’ll start attending when he starts following the law.”
Stansbury was also wearing pink along with other Democratic women.
Democratic Women’s Caucus chair Teresa Leger Fernandez, also a representative from New Mexico, told Time, “Pink is a color of power and protest. It’s time to rev up the opposition and come at Trump loud and clear.”
Republican Party of New Mexico chair Amy Barela called Stansbury’s actions “disrespectful.”
“Well, Representative, you’re right — it’s not normal for the government to finally represent the people instead of special interests,” Barela said. “It’s not normal for hardworking New Mexicans to be put first for the first time in years.”
Leger Fernandez’s guest at the address was Arielle Pines, a former Veterans Affairs employee and spouse of a military member. Pines was fired from her federal job by Elon Musk’s DOGE. Musk is a billionaire whose companies have billions of dollars in federal contracts.
What a desperate loser and shameless virtue signaler of the highest degree. She’s a total embarrassment to the state.
She saw it, and she called it. America is being dismantled by this fascist regime. Thanks to NM Congresswoman Stansbury
Thank you, Representative Stansbury for representing what many, many of your constituents feel. We need more like you to join the resistance against the chaos caused and the open cruelty of this administration.
Losers feel desperate when those trusted to be in power don’t obey the constitution. Trump lost in New Mexico, so most of us think Trump is the embarrassment. He only won by a sliver in the whole nation, but…now all but the richest will suffer.
Precisely what law did Trump break in his speech last night?
she is an Idiot ,and she voted to allow men in women’s sports, she is a good little demorat ,she is toxic and does as she is told
So proud of Representative Stansbury! She speaks for me.
It would be different if this administration deserved the respect!
The president doesn’t respect people of color or women. Go Melanie!
God bless U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury for refusing to submit to moral injury, violate her values and her responsibility to represent ‘the people.’
Did you also know that a Texas senator ripped the sign from her hands? And then ripped it up. Then bragged about it on his YouTube? I was so proud of my representative. She was simply showing how GoodTrouble can work.
It’s sad that we have these children representing us. Equaly disgusting is the fact that they all voted against protecting women and girls in sports act, and hypocritically wore pink. Hope that NM women pay attention and vote them out
Hey Mel, why don’t you reach across the aisle and do soothing other than childish sign holding. In case you haven’t heard our state is last in everything.
Stansbury needs to get her head out of the sand. She & her colleagues in Congress were disrespectful to the president. CBS poll came out today that 76% of the country approved the president’s speech. Standsbury and her colleagues need to learn that our Democratic Party is falling apart. Why isn’t the party praising & thanking Musk for uncovering fraud and corruption? Are they part of the fraud?
The Democratic Party needs to find qualified talented people to run in upcoming elections. Not like the village idiot who could not answer a question without playing salad.
I applaud
stansbury for following her and our fellow democrats for standing up to a dictator!
I stand with Melanie 100%. So do most of us in New Mexico.
Not true.
I’m embarrassed for our State, you have no respect for our country. You represent our state, hopefully you and Heinrich will be voted out.
I feel totally dishonered by the democratic representitives from New Mexico reguardless of our political differences the respect of the office should have been honered
Thank you Reps Stansbury and Leger-Fernandez, and Senator Heinrich for standing up for us! Please keep up the resistance!!
New Mexico is represented by the party of hate and immorality.
SHAMEFULL, I am TOTALLY embarrassed to say I live in New Mexico after this stunt these representatives pulled