Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., doesn’t agree that Democrats refusing to applaud President Trump’s State of the Union is treasonous, but she does think it was “un-American.”
“I would say it was un-American, and they don’t love our country,” Tenney told CNN on Tuesday. “I don’t know if I would go as far as treasonous, but the president is before a large audience, and he likes to talk in colorful language.”
Tenney said she sat on the Democratic side of the House chamber during Trump’s address to Congress and she was “appalled” that Democrats refused to clap or stand.
“I thought it was terrible that they didn’t clap for very American ideas, and why not? They’re just about ‘resist.’ What does ‘resist’ mean? Obstruct. They’re not interested in a dialogue. Not interested in working with us and trying to come up with solutions,” she said.
Trump on Monday called Democratic lawmakers who did not applaud during his address “un-American” and “treasonous.”
"You're up there, and you have half the room going totally crazy wild,” he told a crowd in Ohio. “They loved everything; they want to do something great for our country. And you have the other side, even on positive news, really positive news like that, they were like death. And un-American, un-American."
Trump added: "Somebody said treasonous. I mean, yeah, I guess why not. Can we call that treason? Why not. They certainly didn't seem to love our country very much."