State of the Union: President Trump Booed Over Controversial Immigration Remark

President Trump makes a business out of controversial remarks, but the immigration section of his [...]

By Michael Hein

President Trump makes a business out of controversial remarks, but the immigration section of his State of the Union address on Tuesday might have set a personal record.

"Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives," President Trump claimed in the midst of his speech.

Someone in the audience -- presumably a Democrat or opponent of the president -- called out in reaction to the remark. Many viewers interpreted it as a "boo," though it was too muffled to make out. The president's stance on immigration is one of his least popular positions amongst his opponents.


Leading up to the address, cable news pundits repeatedly stressed the Democrats' need to keep quiet and refrain from heckling the president in order to retain the moral high ground. Throughout the years, politicians have often called out during speeches, especially State of the Union addresses, but its never served the hecklers' agenda.

In 2009, Representative Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, shouted out "you lie!" in the middle of President Obama's State of the Union. he was responding directly to comments about immigration, which may have been the same point an audience member responded to at Tuesday's speech.

Viewers at home didn't fail to notice the stifled shout from the audience. Many were pleased to hear a visceral reaction to President Trump's rhetoric, while others piled on opposition, calling them hypocrites for not respecting Trump's time at the podium.

Most seemed to agree that the president has changed the rules of comportment in politics, so calling out from the audience at one of his speeches is hardly a crime.

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