Just because former Rep. George Santos was voted out of the House of Representatives doesn’t mean he can’t attend the State of the Union—or, at least he’s proving that’s the case. As a former member, it turns out, Santos still technically has floor rights to Congress.
Santos, who represented New York’s 3rd Congressional district, appeared on Thursday night at the 2024 State of the Union address, laughing with his former House colleagues and wearing a Laken Riley pin.
Riley was killed by an undocumented immigrant and her death has become a rallying cry for Republicans who want stronger border security. Today, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would call for the detention of any undocumented migrant that commits burglary or theft.
And as is the case with Santos, many thought his mere appearance at the speech was hilarious.
“George Santos showing up to the #StateOfTheUnion has me dying lmao,” @manal____manal tweeted.
Others joked about Santos’s presence using the famous American Horror Story “surprise bitch” meme, and compared his bravery to show his face in Congress after being expelled to Princess Diana’s revenge dress.
The latter refers to the dress that Princess Diana wore in 1994 on the night King Charles admitted publicly that he had cheated on her.
But of course Santos upstaged any jokes at his expense by announcing he is running for Congress—again—this time in a different part of New York.
