When members of Congress turn the State of the Union into a low-rent AEW wrestling segment, something is broken in more than our politics. That is what happened when Democrat Rep Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) chanted “KKK” at President Donald Trump’s address while Republicans answered with “USA.”
Anyone who has watched pro wrestling recognizes the pattern. Crowds chant ‘F ICE’ at shows as a way of signaling contempt for President Trump’s policies and those who enforce them. It is not serious policy debate — it is a way to feel brave in a crowd without consequence. Tlaib has treated the House chamber the same way, shouting “KKK” like a fan who paid for a ticket rather than a lawmaker entrusted with a vote.
Rashida Tlaib just wrote a post in which she refers to the United States of America as “they”.
When I passed by her office on Capitol Hill this is the flag I saw.
Why are American taxpayers funding this??? pic.twitter.com/0lsgZqY3jq
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) March 1, 2026
The problem is not just decorum. The Ku Klux Klan is not a prop. It is a terrorist group that lynched, burned, and intimidated Americans for generations. For a sitting member of Congress to throw that label at her colleagues while they chant “USA” is an attempt to turn basic patriotism into something shameful and sinister. It is also historically illiterate, given that the party that once sheltered the Klan is the same party that now insists it owns the moral high ground on race.
BREAKING: Rashida Tlaib loses it when pressed on why she referred to Americans as ‘they.’
“I’m not an American because I’m Muslim? You’re racist! That’s a very racist question. I’m Palestinian.”
Notice how she said she’s Palestinian, not American.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 5, 2026
Hot Takes: Rashida Tlaib Lets Mask Slip Amid Questionable ‘Reporting’ on Operation Epic Fury
Tlaib did not stop with the chant. She wore a pin that said “F ICE” and yelled that Trump had “killed Americans” when he defended immigration enforcement. She and Rep Ilhan Omar (MN-05) spent much of the speech on their phones, heckled repeatedly, then walked out early. This is not principled dissent. It is a performance meant to go viral on social media and juice small-dollar donations from activists who want rage, not results.
If a Republican member had stood up during a Democrat president’s speech and shouted similar slurs, the press and party leadership would already be drafting the censure resolution. Calls for Tlaib’s censure from critics are not “silencing a woman of color.” They are a basic demand that Congress maintain some minimal standard of conduct and language. A government that expects respect from its citizens should at least expect seriousness from its own members.
BREAKING: Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib joined an anti-ICE student protest at @WesternHS_DPSCD in Detroit, FEARMONGERING about ICE and starting “ICE OUT” chants.
“They’re coming after all of us… we are the only ones who can protect us.” pic.twitter.com/ZpKXaaF59j
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 5, 2026
There is also a quiet insult here to Americans who may not love Trump but do love their country. When Tlaib equates a chant of “USA” with the Klan, she tells millions of people that the very idea of national pride is suspect. That is not how you persuade undecided voters in Michigan or anywhere else. It is how you lock yourself into a narrow base that already agrees with you and tune out everyone else.
Rashida Tlaib should reside in the country she represents.
Which clearly is not America.pic.twitter.com/FMRKESuLjc
— Sarah Sizzle (@sizzle_sarah) March 5, 2026
In wrestling, the “F ICE” chant is background noise designed to make the fans and the wrestlers who support it seem relevant. It comes and goes, and the show moves on. In Congress, behavior like Tlaib’s erodes trust in an institution that cannot afford to lose any more of it. Republicans are right to insist that the State of the Union is not a stage for cheap heat and three-letter slurs. It is time for the House to remind its members that they are not there to play to the crowd. They are there to represent the country.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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