Overview
- DEFIANCE.org will stage "State of the Swamp" from 7–11 p.m. ET on Feb. 24 at the National Press Club, livestreamed nationwide with Mayors Jacob Frey and Brandon Johnson as keynote speakers.
- The organizers bill the program as a boycott and live counter-address to the president’s remarks, with the Portland Frog Brigade and COURIER co-hosting and supporting distribution.
- Confirmed participants include Robert De Niro, Sen. Ron Wyden, Stacey Abrams, and Reps. Eric Swalwell, Seth Moulton, Jason Crow, and Dan Goldman, alongside journalists and former administration officials.
- Frey called for "moral clarity" from leaders in defending constitutional values, while Johnson said the administration’s actions will not block work to build safe and affordable cities.
- The rebuttal follows escalating clashes over immigration enforcement, including two ICE-related shootings in Minneapolis, a reported drawdown of federal personnel in Minnesota, and a Chicago order directing police to document alleged illegal conduct by federal agents, as Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers the official Democratic response separately.