A message to Donald Trump: Our crowd size is bigger than yours.

[Amaryllis]

https://www.defiance.news/p/a-message-to-donald-trump-our-crowd

As Members of Congress plan to skip Trump's speech, the rebuttal event to the State of the Union is now SOLD OUT. But you can still join us virtually TONIGHT at 7pm ET.
Miles Taylor
Feb 24, 2026
Donald Trump has always been sensitive about his crowd size. Since his first inauguration — and the absurd lies he told about how many people showed up — he’s sensitive to what people see on TV. And tonight, Americans are likely to see that Trump has fewer people in front of him on the U.S. House Floor watching his speech than WE HAVE in attendance just down the street at a rebuttal event to counter his lies.
Let that sink in, Mr. President.

TONIGHT, our team at DEFIANCE.org (in partnership with COURIER, The Portland Frog Brigade, Task Force, and many others) will host the STATE OF THE SWAMP: The Rebuttal to the State of the Union, from 7-11pm ET. Live streamed nationwide (all details below).

This will be one of the largest LIVE “SOTU” rebuttals ever, featuring Robert De Niro, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Stacey Abrams, Mark Ruffalo, Members of Congress, and dozens more.

The optics of the evening will be unmistakable. Members of Congress are deciding to skip Trump’s speech in droves. Meanwhile, our rebuttal event — two blocks from the White House — is SOLD OUT. I was getting text messages until 2 a.m. last night about national leaders who are still hoping to get a spot in the room to join us.

But even if Trump thinks this a crowd-size measuring contest, it isn’t. I just know that’s just what gets his attention. What REALLY matters is what people expect they’ll hear at the two events. And they know the president’s State of the Union address is going to be full of falsehoods and threadbare justifications for America’s slide into autocracy. The used-car salesman who lied his way back into the White House is going to try to sell us on our own repression and his fleecing of the nation.

Indeed, Donald Trump came to Washington pledging to “drain the swamp.” He said D.C. was corrupt, politicians were taking advantage of Americans, and that leaders were using government powers against the people themselves. He said he would save us from it — that he would clean up the nation’s capital.

But he never drained the swamp. He did the literal opposite.

Trump expanded the “swamp” across the whole country. His crony corruption has reached new heights, as he tries to ink sweetheart deals for his corporate pals to take over the news organizations you watch every day so they’ll say nicer things about him. He’s taken billions from U.S. taxpayers for personal gain, and is now literally suing the government he runs demanding billions more. His abuses of power are so breathtaking that entire American cities and states now fear federal government is taking over their lives, from Washington, D.C to Los Angeles.

Tonight at STATE OF THE SWAMP, we will tell the truth about what is happening in our country. We’ll also answer the question on the minds of everyone who cares about stopping what’s happening: “WHAT CAN I DO?”