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Progressives, Trump Critics Plan Additional Responses to State of the Union

Maxine Waters / Getty Images
January 30, 2018

At least five different State of the Union response speeches will be given on Tuesday after President Donald Trump delivers his address to a joint session of Congress.

As previously announced, Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D., Mass.) will deliver the official response on behalf of the Democratic Party and Virginia State Senator Elizabeth Guzman will deliver the party's official Spanish-language response. However, their responses will not be the only ones offered Tuesday night, the Washington Post reports.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) will also deliver, for the second year in a row, a response speech directly to the president's address as opposed to it being recorded ahead of time.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) will deliver a response speech on BET and former Democratic Rep. Donna Edwards (Md.) will give a speech on behalf of the Working Families Party.

The party opposite of the president traditionally delivers an official response, which is also nationally televised. It is a difficult speech to give as it is often recorded prior to the president's address and without firm knowledge of the president's remarks. However, it can help build a politician's national profile if done well.

Tuesday's address will be Trump's first State of the Union address and his second speech to Congress since becoming president.