Progressive and moderate Democrats criticized a protest by Representative Al Green as a distraction, and the party leadership tried to refocus attention on economic issues.

Even before President Trump took the podium to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Democrats began disrupting the proceedings. Within minutes, a lawmaker was escorted out of the chamber. Why it matters: The Democratic protests from inside the chamber represent an unprecedented level of coordination that reflects the immense grassroots pressure the party is facing to mount a resistance to Trump.

Party leaders opted for a soberly delivered, centrist counter to the president’s speech, but the dominant image of Democratic pushback was a liberal congressman waving his cane in protest.

President Trump on Wednesday urged Republicans to campaign on how Democratic lawmakers conducted themselves during his joint address to Congress a night earlier, when several lawmakers walked out in protest and refused to applaud.

President Donald Trump campaigned as a champion of free speech, but First Amendment advocates say they’ve never seen freedom of speech under attack the way it has been in his second term

First Amendment advocates say they’ve never seen freedom of speech under attack the way it has been in Trump’s second term.