Fallout Continues After Pappas Refuses To Stand During SOTU 'Protect Americans' Challenge

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

On your feet or out of that seat, Rep. Chris Pappas.

That’s the message from Granite State Republicans after the U.S. Senate candidate refused to stand during the State of the Union and confirm that he puts American citizens first.

President Donald Trump repeatedly called out Democrats during his speech Tuesday night over their refusal to stand and clap for people and policies he highlighted during his 107-minute address. That included his call for children to be protected from sex-change medical procedures and for dangerous repeat criminal offenders to be kept in jail.

The most talked-about moment came when Trump confronted Democrats with this challenge: “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

As Democrats remained seated, Trump stared them down, drawing attention to their actions.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,” Trump told them. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

New Hampshire’s all-Democrat congressional delegation refused to stand. Pappas is the only one of the four seeking higher office in November, making his decision more politically potent.

Pappas, who is running for U.S. Senate, confirmed that he remained seated during an interview on WGIR radio Wednesday morning, telling host Chris Ryan, “the president set up some, you know, ‘gotcha moment’ in the chamber.”

His Republican opponents were unimpressed.

“If it was a ‘gotcha’ moment, Pappas got ‘got,’” said businesswoman Hollie Noveletsky. She told NHJournal she would have stood up to show her support for the principle that American citizens, not illegal aliens, are her priority.

“I think it was horrible that these Democrats didn’t stand. It shows what their real priorities are.”

Democrats dismissed Trump’s challenge as a political stunt and said they had no duty to play along.

“Of course, we support Americans. We’re not going to be a prop for Donald Trump’s little show,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Maggie Goodlander told the left-wing news outlet MS NOW that Democrats are right to reject Trump when it comes to immigration. She accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of murdering American citizens and expressed concern about reports she’s receiving from New Hampshire.

“The way that ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) are operating… this has been a major problem, even in my state, where I get videos from constituents, photographs of masked agents. It’s not clear if these are federal agents or vigilantes,” Goodlander said.

The Republican National Committee issued a statement criticizing Goodlander and Pappas for refusing to stand and clearly state that Americans are their priority.

“Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander can ignore Granite Staters now, but they won’t be able to ignore the results in November,” said RNC spokesperson Kristen Cianci. “While the Democrats fight for illegals, President Trump and Republicans will continue delivering results for Americans.”

Bedford Republican Melissa Bailey, who is also running in the NH-01 primary, watched the State of the Union at an Americans for Prosperity–New Hampshire event. She told NHJournal the president’s speech was “thoroughly entertaining. It was optimistic, which I love, and it was inspirational.” She expressed her disappointment that Democrats couldn’t set aside partisanship and support common principles.

Most Americans who tuned in appear to agree. A CNN/SSRS poll found that 64 percent of speech-watchers had a positive reaction to the speech.

“I would have stood up in a heartbeat,” said state Rep. Brian Cole, who is also seeking the NH-01 nomination. “Last night, President Trump exposed just how extreme they really are. Chris Pappas is too busy selling out America, while I will stand with Trump every day in Congress next year.”

Businessman Anthony DiLorenzo offered a similar take.

“Rep. Pappas’ conduct last night is a perfect example of how out of touch our federal representatives are with New Hampshire. By not putting Americans first, voting against tax relief, and refusing to close the border, they continuously vote against their constituents.

“When I am in Washington, I will always stand for Granite Staters and Americans first, because that is the job I am called to do.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.