CONGRESS/DEMS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “More than a handful of those sitting in the House chamber Tuesday [2-5-19] evening to hear President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address hope to replace him in two years’ time. And these Democratic 2020 hopefuls are making statements of their own by who will be joining them for the primetime event. One is bringing a transgender military commander, and others are bringing federal employees who were furloughed during the government shutdown driven by Trump’s demands for a border wall. Each member of Congress is allowed one guest at the annual event, an opportunity that over time has transformed into a means of highlighting issues and taking jabs at the opposition. Sen. Kamala Harris, for instance, invited Trisha Pesiri-Dybvik, an air traffic control specialist who was furloughed for more than a month during the government shutdown after losing her home in a California wildfire in 2017. Since officially announcing her bid for president last month, Harris has been gaining ground with Democratic voters, according to a recent POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.”
–Katie Galioto, “2020 Dem hopefuls take digs at Trump with their SOTU guests,” Politico, February 4, 2019 3:33 pm