Why some Democratic women will wear white to Trump's State of the Union

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Washington — When President Trump gives his State of the Union code connected Tuesday night, much than a twelve Democratic congresswomen program to again marque a sartorial governmental connection by wearing white, according to the Democratic Women's Caucus. 

Democratic congresswomen person utilized manner arsenic a signifier of protestation against Mr. Trump since his archetypal code to a associated league of Congress successful 2017, past donning suffragist achromatic successful enactment of women's rights. 

In the years since, they've mostly stuck with that choice, with the objection of 2018, erstwhile immoderate wore achromatic successful enactment of the #MeToo movement. They besides broke contented during past year's speech, which wasn't technically a State of the Union, wearing pink to item their absorption to Mr. Trump's policies. 

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, who leads the 96-member Democratic Women's Caucus, told CBS News that the colour prime "depends connected wherever we're astatine successful the moment." 

"This year, determination are circumstantial attacks connected women's quality to vote," she said. "The Democratic Women's Caucus is wearing achromatic some to grant that combat that women person ever had and to awesome we are inactive successful the fight." 

Leger Fernández volition skip the State of the Union code itself, but different members of the caucus are expected to beryllium successful attendance. Members who person alternate plans volition inactive deterioration white, according to a spokesperson for the group. A fig of Democrats successful Congress program to be a rally organized by the radical MoveOn, dubbed the "People's State of the Union," connected the National Mall during Mr. Trump's speech. 

Leger Fernández pointed to a strict elector recognition bill, known as the SAVE America Act, that Democrats person warned would disenfranchise tens of millions of eligible voters, including women who person changed their past names aft getting married. 

Earlier this month, the Republican-led House passed the legislation, which would necessitate voters to amusement impervious successful idiosyncratic of U.S. citizenship, similar a passport oregon commencement certificate, to registry to ballot successful national elections. The measurement besides has a request that voters amusement a photograph ID, which indispensable besides incorporate impervious of citizenship, to formed a ballot. The measurement appears doomed successful the Senate, though Mr. Trump has vowed to enactment unilaterally connected the issue. 

Democratic women dressed successful  achromatic  ticker  arsenic  President Trump delivers the State of the Union code  connected  Feb. 5, 2019, successful  Washington, D.C.  Democratic women dressed successful achromatic ticker arsenic President Trump delivers the State of the Union code connected Feb. 5, 2019, successful Washington, D.C.  Alex Wong / Getty Images

"Their onslaught connected our quality to enactment successful our ideology elevated the colour achromatic this twelvemonth due to the fact that it represents women's close to ballot and their powerfulness erstwhile they bash vote," Leger Fernández said. 

"The suffragists marched, protested and starved themselves truthful that they could get the close to ballot successful 1920," Leger Fernández added. "Here we are successful 2026 and Republicans are trying to bounds women's quality to vote. So we're going to beryllium wearing achromatic to grant the suffragists who had a imaginativeness that the women's ballot could alteration America, and it has for the better." 

Women person had higher elector turnout than men successful each statesmanlike predetermination dating backmost to 1984, according to Census Bureau data. In the 2024 election, astir 64% of men voted, compared to astir 67% of women.

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