--- title: Sen. Stabenow Explains Her State of the Union Reaction description: Sen. Debbie Stabenow has an explanation for the face she was making while watching President Trump's 2019 State of the Union address. canonical: https://time.com/5523091/stabenow-2019-state-of-the-union/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-02-06T18:55:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:57:22.213Z og:title: Here's What This Senator Had to Say About Her Viral Reaction to Trump's State of the Union og:description: Call it a comeback og:url: https://time.com/5523091/stabenow-2019-state-of-the-union/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e61076278ac3a70/698944a9096a9412386a483c/debbie-stabenow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3370 og:image:height: 1896 og:image:alt: Sen. Debbie Stabenow og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's What This Senator Had to Say About Her Viral Reaction to Trump's State of the Union twitter:description: Call it a comeback twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e61076278ac3a70/698944a9096a9412386a483c/debbie-stabenow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's What This Senator Had to Say About Her 2019 State of the Union Reaction > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Feb 6, 2019 6:55 PM UTC  Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., participates in the Senate Democrats' news conference to unveil a plan to protect and expand retirement savings on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., participates in the Senate Democrats' news conference to unveil a plan to protect and expand retirement savings on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Feb 6, 2019 6:55 PM UTC [Sen. Debbie Stabenow](http://time.com/4912668/president-donald-trump-judicial-vacancies-judges/) of Michigan clearly had strong feelings about watching President Donald Trump deliver his [2019 State of the Union](http://time.com/5522293/state-union-trump-analysis/) address on Tuesday night. But while some spectators may have believed that his speech lulled her to sleep — based on a photograph circulating of the Senator appearing to have her eyes closed while she listened — she has a very different explanation for what was going on in her head [during the address.](http://time.com/5521860/2019-state-of-the-union-trump-transcript/) “I wasn’t sleeping. I was trying not to scream,” she tweeted in response to the photo. Stabenow is the senior senator from Michigan, a Democrat who was first elected to her office in 2000 and is now serving her fourth term. She also is currently the Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. Bills [she’s working on](https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/news) at the moment include efforts to improve healthcare for children in schools and extend community health center funding. In response to the State of the Union address on Tuesday, she released an official response of her own, doubling down on her interest in bipartisanship. “I am deeply concerned about the direction of our country reflected in the President’s address this evening,” [it reads](https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/news/senator-stabenow-statement-on-state-of-the-union-address). “We need to come together and find bipartisan solutions on issues important to Michigan like fixing our nation’s infrastructure, lowering the cost of health care, and keeping jobs in the United States.” But it’s her fiery comeback to that now-viral photo that has her supporters rallying behind her. Stabenow isn’t the only member of Congress who [struggled with](http://time.com/5522337/kirsten-gillibrand-sigh/) containing her reactions during the speech, either — and probably won’t be the last. > [](https://twitter.com/SenStabenow/status/1093177367441432576) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5523091/stabenow-2019-state-of-the-union/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5523091/stabenow-2019-state-of-the-union/"},"headline":"Here's What This Senator Had to Say About Her 2019 State of the Union Reaction","datePublished":"2019-02-06T18:55:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:57:22.213Z","description":"\"I wasn't sleeping. 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