WASHINGTON (AP) — Scenes from the Capitol on a night of pomp, pageantry and politics for the State of the Union address:
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They could all agree to support 12-year-old Preston Sharp and his project to plant flags on the graves of veterans. But it was a different story when President Donald Trump used that good deed to scold athletes, ahead of the Super Bowl, who kneel during the national anthem.
Members of Congress, the Cabinet, the Supreme Court and assorted guests applauded Trump’s shout-out to Preston, who noticed that not every grave was decorated with a flag at the California veterans’ cemetery where his grandfather was buried. He started collecting donations and, two years later, had decorated 23,000 graves.
“Preston’s reverence for those who have served our nation reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance,” Trump said during his speech, drawing applause.
But the mood changed when the president added: “… and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.”
GOP lawmakers erupted in applause. Democrats were far more muted.
Trump was a leading critic of NFL players, predominantly African-American, during last fall’s protests. Vice President Mike Pence abruptly left an Indianapolis Colts game after almost two dozen members of the San Francisco 49ers knelt during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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It was no “You lie” moment. But Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., grew exasperated as Trump mentioned open borders, letting in drugs, gangs and low-wage workers.
“Oh, c’mon,” Crowley said, audibly enough to be heard in the gallery overhead.
The exclamation came as Trump and Congress tangle over immigration reform, which helped trigger a government shutdown. Trump also has struggled with the issue. He kicked off his presidential campaign with a declaration that many Mexican immigrants who come here illegally are criminals.
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., in 2009 shouted, “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s address to Congress on health care.
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With all eyes on her, a poised Melania Trump took her seat in the gallery above the packed House moments before her husband delivered his State of the Union speech.
Mrs. Trump, sheathed in an all-white Dior pantsuit, had traveled to the Capitol separately from President Donald Trump after holding White House and Capitol receptions for her guests. A White House aide said the couple was expected to return together to the White House after the speech.
First ladies typically get everyone’s attention when they enter the chamber for their husbands’ addresses. But Mrs. Trump had not been seen in public with her husband since The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that in 2016, Trump’s lawyer paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an affair she said she had with the future president. Daniels on Tuesday issued a statement denying the affair happened.
After the report, the couple’s anniversary passed without public comment. Mrs. Trump abruptly canceled plans to accompany her husband to Davos, Switzerland.
Last year, President and Mrs. Trump traveled to the speech together.
Mrs. Trump did not react as Trump began his speech with an acknowledgement of “the first lady.”
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House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is advising Democrats to be on their better behavior during President Donald Trump’s speech — for strategy’s sake.
“Let the attention be on his slobbering self,” Pelosi told members during a closed caucus meeting, according to a Democratic aide in the room who was not authorized to discuss internal discussions publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
As for Democrats considering protesting Trump by leaving mid-speech, she warned: “If you want to walk out, don’t come in.”
Making a spectacle, she suggested, would only distract from the Democrats’ rebuttal.
Because of low expectations, Trump was likely to get high marks no matter what, Pelosi added.
“If his nose isn’t running and he isn’t burping, he did a great speech,” she said.
Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway tweeted: “As POTUS in #SOTU aims to go high, NancyPelosi goes super-low.”
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Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., strolled through the Capitol before the speech with a guest who was attracting more attention than he was.
Tall and sporting a ponytail was Jayson Werth, an outfielder who played the last several years for the local Washington Nationals. Werth said he has an organic farm in Davis’ district.
Asked if he was a Trump supporter, Werth said he was a moderate.
“I’m just spreading my wings a little bit,” he said.
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Army Staff Sgt. Patricia King, the first person to have sex reassignment surgery paid for by the military, is attending the State of the Union address.
King, 37, is an 18-year Army veteran and infantry squad leader at Fort Lewis, Washington. King is the guest of Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who is giving the Democratic response.
Trump said in July that the government would not allow transgender people to serve in the military, reversing an Obama-era policy.
A federal appeals panel in the District of Columbia rejected Trump’s bid to start the ban Jan. 1, and the Pentagon has said it will allow transgender enlistment to continue as legal struggles play out.
King, who grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has twice been deployed to Afghanistan and has been awarded the Bronze Star.
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A Republican congressman from Arizona said any “illegal aliens” who attend the State of the Union address as guests of Democrats should be arrested and deported.
More than 20 Democratic lawmakers have invited “Dreamers,” young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and are living here illegally. Congress has been unable to come up with a legislative solution for their legal status, which was at the center of the recent government shutdown.
“Of all the places where the rule of law needs to be enforced, it should be in the hallowed halls of Congress,” Rep. Paul Gosar tweeted. “Any illegal aliens attempting to go through security, under any pretext of invitation or otherwise, should be arrested and deported.”
A spokeswoman for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said, “The speaker clearly does not agree.” The U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Among the high-profile Democrats who have invited Dreamers to the speech are House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California.
Gosar’s suggestion drew a quick rejoinder from Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who tweeted back: “This is why we can’t have nice things…”
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Associated Press writers Matthew Daly and Alan Fram contributed to this report.
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