Callista and I were guests of Speaker Mike Johnson at President Donald J. Trump’s address to the Joint Session of Congress.
Our seats were directly above the House Democrats. It was a really amazing place to be.
We could see President Trump clearly. We were directly across from the First Lady and their guests.
But it was truly fun looking down on the House Democrats and watching their reactions to the speech.
No matter what President Trump said, the House Democrats sat on their hands and stared. They were in endurance mode. You had to wonder why they even attended the speech.
To Speaker Johnson’s credit, the Republicans thought through the possibility of some Democrats being genuinely disruptive. They clearly worked with the House Sergeant at Arms to think through how to handle disruptions. The Speaker has an obligation to maintain the decorum of the House and respect for the House’s guest, in this case the President of the United States.
As soon as Congressman Al Green tried to disrupt the proceedings, Speaker Johnson intervened decisively and respectfully. He perfectly captured the sense of decorum for the House as an institution.
First, Speaker Johnson read from the rules reminding everyone that there was an obligation to maintain order and respect. When Green continued, Speaker Johnson calmly read from the rules that the Sergeant at Arms would remove him if he persisted. Green kept being obnoxious, so Speaker Johnson calmly ordered him removed from the House chamber. Green was peacefully escorted out.
After that calm display of authority – and willingness to use the Sergeant at Arms – no other Democrats were aggressively disruptive. The closest thing to a demonstration was three Democratic congresswomen who took off their outer garments to reveal T-shirts which read “Resist.” They quietly left after making their point.
As we watched, Republicans came across the middle aisle to occupy Democratic seats as Democrats left the House Chamber. The result was a small but enthusiastic group of Republicans standing and applauding even though they were on the Democratic side.
As the evening went on, House Democrats refused to applaud for anything. They didn’t applaud the capture of a terrorist. They didn’t react to a conciliatory letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They didn’t show appreciation for a 13-year-old cancer survivor. They didn’t acknowledge the wives, mothers, and children of victims of illegal immigrants. They didn’t clap for a hostage returned from Russia and his 95-year-old mother. Through all this, it occurred to me that the Democrats looked like zombies.
Of course, the House Democrats have become so far left they couldn’t possibly applaud President Trump’s recitation of core values. They learned nothing from the 2024 election. On popular issue after popular issue, the Zombie Democrats are locked in their commitment to deeply unpopular ideas.
For example, are there two genders? According to our polling and research at America’s New Majority Project, 75 percent of Americans think so – but not the Zombie Democrats. Should boys be blocked from playing women’s sports? A NORC poll found 66 percent of Americans think so – but not the Zombie Democrats. Should English be the official language of the United States? Eighty-one percent of Americans think so – but not the Zombie Democrats. Should merit and performance be the basis for hiring and promotion? Again, 81 percent of Americans think so – but not the Zombie Democrats.
President Trump and the majority of Americans are on one side of these issues, and the Zombie Democrats are on the other.
The scale of accomplishments in President Trump’s first 32 days in office is stunning. The administration was announcing new efforts right up to the time of his speech. President Trump and his team are steadily moving forward on a broad front.
Importantly, the speech did not stop with the present. President Trump made a strong case for an emerging Golden Age of technological innovation, economic growth, national security, and exploration.
If the American people get to choose between President Trump’s Golden Age and the Zombie Democratic Party’s commitment to unpopular values and hostile behavior, the 2026 election may be even better than I expect.
For more commentary from Newt Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com. Also, subscribe to the Newt’s World podcast.
