Martina Kraus (@martinakraus.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy)

By Joel Odom | The Oregonian/OregonLive The Portland Frog Brigade is taking its show on the road. At least eight members of the amphibious group, which gained fame after wearing inflatable frog suits to ICE protests last fall, will be heading to Washington, D.C., to be among the headliners for the State of the Swamp, an alternative event to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday. Organizers are calling the State of the Swamp event “The Rebuttal to the State of the Union,” with the Portland Frog Brigade tweaking that to “The Ribbital.” Dozens of celebrities, politicians and activists are lined up to speak or appear, from Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. The event, set for 4 p.m. Tuesday at the National Press Club, can be live streamed at Defiance.org. “Boycott Trump’s speech,” a banner on that group’s website says. “Join our party.” “We’re hoping to steal the thunder,” a Portland Frog Brigade spokesperson told The Oregonian/OregonLive. For the Portland group, the festivities will begin earlier in the day. They plan to suit up and hit the U.S. Capitol to hand out pocket Constitutions to members of Congress. The group also has ordered and shipped 385 inflatable frog suits to D.C. and is recruiting other activists to wear them and join the Portland frogs for some photo shoots at various D.C. monuments. It will almost certainly make for the largest contingent of inflatable frog costumes toad date. “We’re like the jesters of this movement,” the brigade spokesperson said. “And so our role, although ridiculous, is extremely important at the same time.” Joel Odom headshot Joel Odom Joel Odom is an audience producer at The Oregonian/OregonLive. That means he writes about trending topics in news, life and culture, and sports. He has held a variety of news and sports jobs at The... more [email protected] https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2026/02/portland-frog-brigade-headed-to-state-of-the-swamp-event-in-dc.html?gift=9e171c8a-9e80-48d9-9d7b-09f48eded4bd