‘Like an award show’: Democrat Senate candidate mocks Trump honoring veterans

Illinois Democrat Rep. Robin Kelly laughed and mocked veterans honored at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address during a livestream Tuesday night.

Kelly, who is running for the Democratic nomination in Illinois to replace Sen. Dick Durbin in 2026, said the address was “like an award show,” referring to the awards Trump presented during the address. The Senate hopeful appeared on a livestream titled, “The Black People’s Response to the State of the Union,” to discuss the event.

“It was like an award show. You get a medal, you get a medal, you get a medal,” Kelly said on the livestream, with Podcaster Angela Rye adding, “Mo [Monique Pressley] just said you get a car, you get a car, y’all are on the same page,” referencing an internet meme mocking television personality Oprah Winfrey’s famous giveaways.

New York Democrat Rep. Yvette Clarke, who did not attend the event, said the address was “as horrific as I thought it would be.

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A total of five military officers were presented with awards during the address. Two West Virginia National Guardsmen who were shot by an Afghan national in December 2025, Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Army Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, were given Purple Heart awards. The parents of Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed in the shooting, accepted the posthumous award on their daughter’s behalf.

Two military pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor: 100-year-old World War II veteran and former United States Navy pilot Captain Royce Williams and Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, a helicopter pilot who participated in the raid on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s compound in Caracas. (RELATED: Donald Trump Awards Medal Of Honor To Two Heroes During State Of Union)

Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan was awarded the Legion of Merit medal for his role in saving 165 people from deadly floods near Camp Mystic, Texas in July 2025.

Trump touted the effectiveness of his administration’s work over the last year during his speech, saying, “A short while ago we were a dead country, now we are the hottest country in the world. The hottest!” Meanwhile, Democrat Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib attempted to shout down the president’s statement that the government had a duty to protect citizens over foreign nationals. Texas Democrat Rep. Al Green was also ejected from the event for holding a sign that read, “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES.”

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