House Republican Chair Lisa McClain made a very awkward fashion faux-pas at State of the Union.
The 59-year-old arrived ahead of President Donald Trump’s speech in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday in an all-white ensemble.
McClain opted for a long-sleeve crisp white dress that fell just above the knee and boasted flamboyant black feathered detailing around the sleeves.
She finished the look with sheer tights, black pointed-toe shoes and a large Coach tote bag.
But McClain may have regretted her choice of ensemble since the color white – which is the color of suffrage – was claimed by Democrat women for the evening in an embarrassing political party faux-pas.
It was announced ahead of the event that the 96-member Democratic Women’s Caucus – including House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi – was planning to wear all-white to protest what they view as an attack on women’s rights.
‘This year, there are specific attacks on women’s ability to vote,’ Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez told CBS News.
‘The Democratic Women’s Caucus is wearing white both to honor that fight that women have always had and to signal we are still in the fight.’
House Republican Chair Lisa McClain made a very awkward fashion faux-pas at State of the Union
Several others made similarly politically-charged statements.
Democratic Rep. Jill Tokuda, of Hawaii, added: ‘Tonight, when Donald Trump looks out into the chamber, he will see a wall of white.’
And Rep. Nellie Pou, of New Jersey, took to X (formerly Twitter) with a post that read: ‘Women are not safe in Trump’s America, as costs keep rising, health care slips out of reach, and violence becomes a daily headline.
‘Today we wear white, just like our ancestors did when they fought for rights.
‘Different time, same fight.’
Suffragettes wore white during their push to obtain the right to vote for women in America, per the Greenwich Historical Society.
The society states that the color symbolizes purity and has been worn by women’s rights activists throughout the history of the US, including the push for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s.
This is not the first time that Democrats have used co-ordinated colors in protest.
It was announced ahead of the event that the 96-member Democratic Women’s Caucus – including House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi – was planning to wear all-white to the event to protest what they view as an attack on women’s rights
Back in 2018, during Trump’s first term in the White House, the women wore black in support of the #MeToo movement for women who experienced sexual harassment and abuse.
Similarly, last year, when Trump delivered his joint address to Congress, Democratic congresswomen wore pink in opposition to his policies that affected women – including abortion access.
The protest comes after at least 70 Democrats are reportedly boycotting Trump’s State of the Union by attending counterprogramming or protesting at the National Mall.
Others have unleashed a sabotage plot to stage walk-outs during Trump’s speech as he prepares to reset his agenda.
