Anti-ICE inflatable frogs join Democrats at State of the Union counter event

While President Donald Trump gave the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday night, many Democrats boycotted the speech and opted to engage in some unconventional counterprogramming.

For example, some Democrats attended an event organized by Defiance.org at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C, and at least one of them was joined on stage by some … special guests.

‘Tonight I defy Trump and his authoritarian project by standing in joyful, radical, peaceful resistance with the Portland Frog Brigade!’

Video emerged on Tuesday night showing Oregon Rep. Maxine Dexter (D) speaking at the event, while six inflatable frogs stood beside her and many more stood off to the side.

“Tonight I defy Trump and his authoritarian project by standing in joyful, radical, peaceful resistance with the Portland Frog Brigade!” Dexter said as the frogs jumped around and waved small American flags.

RELATED: VIDEO: Federal agents clash with mob of Antifa-fueled, anti-ICE protesters in Portland

Defiance.org describes itself as a “club for courageous Americans — people willing to take peaceful, lawful, defiant action to defend democracy from a wannabe dictator.” The organization partnered with the Portland Frog Brigade for this event, though the group has been making its anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement stance known since last year.

According to its “about” page, the Portland Frog Brigade was created after an anti-ICE activist — apparently known by several names such as Toad, Toad Todd, and antifascistfrog — was sprayed by federal law enforcement outside Portland’s ICE facility. The organization emphasizes that the “absurdity” is core to the idea behind the group:

The image of a cartoon frog facing off against a wall of heavily armored men was so strikingly absurd that it cut straight through the noise and brought home the reality that our government is treating peaceful citizens as enemies.

From that moment, the frog became a symbol of resistance that refuses to lose its joy. The Brigade took inspiration from Toad and grew as so many others donned inflatable animal suits and joined actions across the country and around the world.

However, not all is well in inflatable paradise.

The partnership between Defiance.org and Portland Frog Brigade has apparently caused infighting with an adjacent group called Operation Inflation.

Operation Inflation posted a video on Instagram criticizing the partnership and distancing itself from the other organization: “The frog brigade, however, saw the frog and emptied it of context, taking the image without the work, the aesthetic without the politics, and shared it with an establishment that can only function through neutralizing resistance.”

“When the loudest voices take the safest route, do not trust them,” the spokesperson in a red frog suit said.

Toad, the figurehead, reposted the video on his own Instagram account, seemingly attempting to likewise distance the symbol from the Portland Frog Brigade. He has also previously called the brigade a “business of grifters seeking to piggy off the backs of actual activists.”

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