Why some Democratic congresswomen will wear white to Trump’s State of the Union

Washington — When President Trump gives his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, more than a dozen Democratic congresswomen plan to again make a sartorial political statement by wearing white, according to the Democratic Women’s Caucus. 

Democratic congresswomen have used fashion as a form of protest against Mr. Trump since his first address to a joint session of Congress in 2017, then donning suffragist white in support of women’s rights. 

In the years since, they’ve mostly stuck with that choice, with the exception of 2018, when some wore black in support of the #MeToo movement. They also broke tradition during last year’s speech, which wasn’t technically a State of the Union, wearing pink to highlight their opposition to Mr. Trump’s policies. 

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, who leads the 96-member Democratic Women’s Caucus, told CBS News that the color choice “depends on where we’re at in the moment.” 

“This year, there are specific attacks on women’s ability to vote,” she said. “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.” 

Leger Fernández will skip the State of the Union address itself, but other members of the caucus are expected to be in attendance. Members who have alternate plans will still wear white, according to a spokesperson for the group. A number of Democrats in Congress plan to attend a rally organized by the group MoveOn, dubbed the “People’s State of the Union,” on the National Mall during Mr. Trump’s speech. 

Leger Fernández pointed to a strict voter identification bill, known as the SAVE America Act, that Democrats have warned would disenfranchise tens of millions of eligible voters, including women who have changed their last names after getting married. 

Earlier this month, the Republican-led House passed the legislation, which would require voters to show proof in person of U.S. citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote in federal elections. The measure also has a requirement that voters show a photo ID, which must also contain proof of citizenship, to cast a ballot. The measure appears doomed in the Senate, though Mr. Trump has vowed to act unilaterally on the issue. 

“Their attack on our ability to participate in our democracy elevated the color white this year because it represents women’s right to vote and their power when they do vote,” Leger Fernández said. 

“The suffragists marched, protested and starved themselves so that they could get the right to vote in 1920,” Leger Fernández added. “Here we are in 2026 and Republicans are trying to limit women’s ability to vote. So we’re going to be wearing white to honor the suffragists who had a vision that the women’s vote could change America, and it has for the better.” 

Women have had higher voter turnout than men in every presidential election dating back to 1984, according to Census Bureau data. In the 2024 election, about 64% of men voted, compared to nearly 67% of women.