Fox’s Wallace: ‘It’s a mistake’ for Dems to boycott State of the Union

Fox News’s Chris Wallace on Tuesday said in an interview on the network that he “personally thinks it’s a mistake” for some Democrats to boycott President Trump’s State of the Union.

The perspective comes as many Democrats have announced plans to not attend the president’s address, primarily citing “racist” and “divisive” remarks during his first year in office.

“They certainly have the right to do it. I’m sure some Republicans boycotted Barack Obama when he spoke. I personally think it’s a mistake,” said Wallace, a 50-year news veteran, told “America’s Newsroom” anchor Sandra Smith.

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“I think to a certain degree you go to the State of the Union speech not to honor the particular president, but to honor the institution of the presidency, to at least hear what the man has to say.”

“I suspect that he and the standing room-only crowd in the House will proceed just fine without them,” the “Fox News Sunday” host concluded. “That’s their decision and I guess as we say, it’s a free country.”

Democrats Maxine Waters (Calif.) and Al Green (Texas) were the lone Democrats in 2017 to skip the president’s address to a joint session of Congress, which in essence is a State of the Union address for an incoming president.

The Hill’s Whip List of Democrats skipping this year’s address includes Waters and Green, along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Steve Cohen (Tenn.), Joe Kennedy III (Mass.), Danny K. Davis (Ill.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), John Lewis (Ga.), Gregory Meeks (N.Y.), Bobby Rush (Ill.), Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), Albio Sires (N.J.), and Frederica Wilson (Fla.).

“To go would be to honor the president and I don’t think he deserves to be honored at this time after being so hateful towards black people and then black countries, Haiti and the whole continent of Africa,” Wilson told CNN.

Kennedy will deliver one of five State of the Union responses being offered up by Democrats on Tuesday night after the address.