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Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said she had no hesitations about remaining in her seat at the 2026 State of the Union when President Donald Trump challenged lawmakers to stand if they agreed the U.S. government should prioritize its citizens’ safety over that of illegal aliens.
Like every single one of her Democratic colleagues, Tokuda, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, stayed put as Republicans stood for over a minute and a half, applauding in a show of support for the president’s statement.
A voter approached Tokuda about the moment two weeks later, pressing her on why she didn’t stand.
“The statement was: ‘The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.’ I noticed you did not stand,” a voter who identified herself as Arline said.
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Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, attends the State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“I’d like to know your reasoning why you did not stand.”
After a brief smattering of applause from the audience, Tokuda thanked Arline for the question, noting that lawmakers don’t always get easy questions at town hall events.
“But that decision was easy for me,” Tokuda said.
She said her reaction was based on her interpretation of Trump’s challenge, stating that she believed the president had no intention of fielding the support for the statement.
“If it had been a genuine question, a true question — not a ploy to be able to put on some commercial later on to say ‘look at all those Democrats who don’t believe in protecting Americans’ — I absolutely would have stood,” Tokuda said.
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Trump delivers first official State of the Union of his second term. (Getty Images)
Tokuda did not reference the moment in her immediate reactions to the State of the Union.
Instead, on her website, she focused on Trump’s tariffs.
“If you consider tariffs and the hundreds of billions of dollars that tariffs have taxed on everyday Americans … the hundreds of billions of dollars he’s collecting in tariffs have been a tax on everyday people,” Tokuda said, highlighting comments made to a local outlet.
In the past, Tokuda has criticized Trump’s immigration crackdown efforts for hitting close to home.
“We’re all one degree of separation from knowing somebody who is right now living in fear, worried that they could be picked up off the streets or they could be deported, even if they have no grounds to,” Tokuda told the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) last year.
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The Trump administration reaffirmed that all illegal immigrants are eligible for deportations as they focus on arresting violent criminals first. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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“There [are] too many looking over their shoulder and fearing for their lives right now.”
Tokuda’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
