Democratic pollster and strategist Mark Penn reacted to congressional members of his party who engaged in outbursts and juvenile protests during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday during an appearance on the “Cats & Cosby with John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby” show out of New York City. Penn, who worked in Bill Clinton’s White House, gave his party bad marks and said what Democrats did to Trump didn’t sit well with the American public.
“I used to be on the other side, you know, helping to craft the State of the Union from the Democratic side of President Clinton. And we knew when we were going to make the Republicans, you know, clap with us and they would. And I just think the idea of the Democrats thinking they could sit there through this and not kind of be part of the process,” he said.
“And people not showing up at all. Look, Trump is a duly elected president in a, you know, in a joint session speech. Everybody should be there,” he continued. “Everybody should be polite. They’ll get their opportunities to, you know, do their thing. And look, you know, it’s a reality that the person giving the speech has a double barreled shotgun and the person giving the response has a pop gun.”
“And but Trump, that was probably his best, you know, I think his best speech ever, really. And I think the emotional power of the examples and the stories that he told. And I’m looking at some of the poll numbers, you know, coming back on it was very strong,” Penn continued. “And the Democrats look silly and Democratic numbers are really tanking. They are at the lowest point that I have ever seen the Democratic Party since maybe, you know, the days that it lost 49 states.”
Trump suggested on Wednesday night that Republicans should use Democrats’ behavior during his midterm campaign as a focal point, highlighting their lack of applause on several key issues. The president laid out an optimistic agenda for the next four years, framing it as a “common sense revolution” during his speech, but nearly all Democrats in attendance rejected it.
“The Democrats should lose the Midterms based on their behavior at last night’s Joint Address to Congress,” the president posted on Truth Social. “All Republicans must use their behavior on men in women’s sports, their very dangerous Open Border policy, High Energy and Taxes, and much else. Republicans should utilize the footage provided on the total disrespect they showed to all of those that were honored that night, including young ladies who were killed by illegal migrants, people with terminal cancer, etc. They didn’t even have the common courtesy to stand, smile, or applaud.”