Frog Suits and Flying Dildos: America's New Form of Political Resistance

Paying $99 to wear a frog costume and throw dildos at a screen showing the president's speech. This is what political resistance looked like in America last night.

While Donald Trump delivered his 108-minute State of the Union address to Congress, an alternative universe unfolded at Washington D.C.'s National Press Club. The "State of the Swamp" drew hundreds of attendees, many sporting inflatable frog suits, in what organizers called a new way to fight back against a president "adept at defying norms."

The evening's most surreal moment came when comedian-activist Rob Potylo, dressed as a giraffe, removed his sunglasses to deliver what he called an "earnest message." His philosophy? "We do not fight absurdity with valor. We fight absurdity with more absurdity!" He then turned around and began twerking, his giraffe tail bouncing to rapturous applause.

When Carnival Meets Congress

Behind the bizarre spectacle lay serious political calculation. Hosted by Miles Taylor, a former Trump Homeland Security chief of staff turned critic, the event featured A-list Resistance figures: actors Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo, conservative-turned-Trump-critic George Conway, voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, and former CNN anchor Jim Acosta.

Several members of Congress abandoned their seats in the House chamber—where Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had urged "silent defiance"—to join something louder and more brazen. Representative LaMonica McIver, currently facing Trump Justice Department charges for allegedly assaulting federal officers, told attendees: "We can't operate like this is the norm, because everything this president is doing is not normal."

The evening's programming included mock press conferences featuring a fake White House press secretary sporting "Fake News" buttons and what appeared to be a fake baby bump (the real press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is pregnant). A "reading room" offered laptops to "Browse Jeffrey Epstein's Emails." Merchandise included $34.99 "State of the Swamp" T-shirts.

The Fragmentation of American Politics

This spectacle illuminates two troubling trends in American democracy. First, the abandonment of shared national rituals. The opposition party once sat respectfully through presidential addresses, offering rebuttals only afterward. Now even the Super Bowl inspires counterprogramming—this year, conservative youth organization Turning Point USA staged its own event to protest Bad Bunny's halftime performance.

Second, the coarsening of political discourse. Some progressives, observing Trump's mastery of the attention economy, have concluded that winning "the race to the bottom" is the only way to beat him. The State of the Swamp embodied both impulses in a single evening.

The Resistance's Dilemma

Yet the event also revealed the contradictions within anti-Trump organizing. During a panel discussion, host Wajahat Ali attempted to lead successive chants of "Defy" and "Love," before realizing this would sound like "Defy Love"—hardly the harmonious message intended. After some real-time editing, the crowd settled on "We defy because we love America."

But even this patriotic framing proved contentious. 82-year-oldRobert De Niro told the crowd that "expressing love for our country is like an abused spouse professing love for their abuser." When he asked repeatedly whether attendees could love a country that had adopted Trump's policies, they shouted back "No!" as he listed what he saw as presidential transgressions.

The actor later told me backstage: "I don't want to be part of this, but I don't see any other way. I can't sit by and watch what's happening in this country."

The Economics of Outrage

The sold-out event offered a glimpse into the monetization of political resistance. VIP tickets starting at $1,000 included full frog suits and access to meet-and-greets with cable news regulars and social media personalities. The halls buzzed with familiar faces from Trump's first term: former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, ex-Playboy White House reporter Brian Karem, and high-profile lawyer Abbe Lowell.

Taylor said proceeds would support "pro-democracy efforts" including peaceful protests and legal defense funds. But the carnival atmosphere raised questions about whether serious political organizing was getting lost in the spectacle.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson argued that Democrats must "use every single tool available" against what he called a "tyrant." When De Niro learned Trump intended to speak for nearly two hours, his response captured the evening's sentiment: "It's crazy. It's fucking lunacy."