Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) delivered a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump for his State of the Union address. For an hour and forty-seven minutes, Padilla noted, the president peddled “lies after lies” misrepresenting and distracting from the disastrous Trump-Republican agenda.
Speaking at the Capitol the day after the speech, Padilla stated he and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger had focused their responses on similar themes: affordability, constitutional rights, and the integrity of American elections. He said that heading into the address, he expected exaggerations and deflections—and pointed out the president delivered exactly that.
On the economy, Padilla said Trump campaigned on lowering prices but has failed to do so. He pointed to continued increases in groceries, housing, utilities, and electricity, contending that families across the country are struggling to pay their bills while the administration attempts to shift the narrative.
Padilla also raised concerns about what he described as aggressive and unlawful immigration enforcement tactics, particularly in Minnesota which have led to the needless deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. He called out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of carrying out operations that have extended beyond individuals with judicial warrants, including entering homes without proper authorization. He cited reports of legal immigrants, U.S. citizens, and veterans being swept up in enforcement actions, as well as deteriorating conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities.
Framing the issue as broader than immigration policy, Padilla stated that detentions without warrants and the suppression of First Amendment activity represent threats to fundamental rights and democratic norms.
Padilla Sounds The Alarm Over Voter Suppression
He then turned to elections, warning against attempts by Trump to “take over” the administration of voting. Padilla referenced ongoing efforts by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain voter roll information from states and criticized legislative proposals such as the SAVE Act, which he said would enable voter purges and restrict access to the ballot. He stated that efforts to curb vote-by-mail and centralize election oversight reflect the president’s continued refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 election.
Padilla also objected to recent federal activity in Georgia, noting that intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, had joined law enforcement in actions tied to 2020 election materials in Fulton County.
In response to these attempts to undermine th elections, Padilla announced that state and local officials—including California Attorney General Rob Bonta—were participating in a spotlight hearing to examine what he described as growing threats to election administration.
Rather than pivoting on policy, Padilla said, the administration has doubled down. In response, he pledged that Democrats would intensify legislative initiatives, pursue legal challenges, and expand outreach efforts ahead of November’s elections.
