If you ever needed a perfect example of Democrats turning Capitol Hill into a Broadway drama with zero plot and plenty of bad acting, look no further than the stunt they pulled Tuesday night. Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, backed by other House Dems and Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva herself, went full-on protest mode outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, chanting “Swear her in!” like it was a union picket line. Bonus cringe points for throwing in “What is he afraid of?… Epstein!” because nothing says “serious legislative body” like tossing out conspiracy slogans in the middle of a hallway temper tantrum.
House Democrats are marching to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office to demand he swear in Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva
They have a call-and-response going:
“What is he afraid of?”
“Epstein!” pic.twitter.com/Xf5di0FpOw— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) October 14, 2025
But here’s the kicker: Speaker Johnson wasn’t even there. The whole show was aimed at an empty chair. You can’t make this stuff up.
Grijalva, freshly certified as the winner of Arizona’s special election, recorded herself in front of the door as if this was some kind of historic sit-in. “Certified today,” she reminded her followers. “That means the governor, the attorney general, and the secretary of state have all said yes, she won.” That’s great and all, but last we checked, the House doesn’t operate on X videos and protest marches. There’s a process, and yes, it includes timing, procedure, and, critically, not throwing tantrums during a shutdown.
.@SpeakerJohnson You ready to swear me in? pic.twitter.com/9FHRYUT7RD
— Adelita Grijalva (@AdelitaForAZ) October 15, 2025
And speaking of shutdowns, maybe these Democrats forgot their own party was responsible for the current government closure. But no worries, they still want a big, taxpayer-funded ceremony to get their newest member sworn in, optics and shutdown be damned. Priorities, right?
Meanwhile, Speaker Johnson wasn’t hiding from protest chants. He was at the White House Rose Garden, attending a solemn, historic event where President Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. It was a dignified moment, focused on service and sacrifice, the kind of thing you’d hope Congress could focus on once in a while.
Instead, Democrats were outside Johnson’s office waving their phones and shouting into the void. Grijalva accused Johnson of stalling because, in her words, she’d be the 218th vote on a discharge petition to “release the Epstein files.” That’s where this went, straight off the rails.
Speaker Johnson is stalling because he knows I will be the 218th signature on the discharge petition to release the Epstein files.
Read my full statement below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/BMfcPruf4Y
— Adelita Grijalva (@AdelitaForAZ) October 14, 2025
If this is how Democrats want to introduce their newest member to the American people, with manufactured outrage, baseless accusations, and empty symbolism, they’re welcome to it. But maybe next time, wait until the Speaker is actually in his office. Or better yet, take a moment to fund the government before demanding your next photo op.
Democrats believe these stunts are actual accomplishments and achieves their goals. It’s the same way they reacted when Kammie Harris finally spent 20 minutes at the southern border for her campaign video. “See? She fixed it!”