AUGUSTA — U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree says she will not attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Instead, the 1st District Democrat plans to attend a rally on the National Mall with other Democrats.

During a Friday press conference, Pingree said she’s been to several of Trump’s formal addresses to Congress.

“It’s a really painful event,” she said. “I’m finding increasingly the lack of respect that he has for Congress, for Americans, for our policies, it’s just hard to picture sitting in a room for that length of time and being somewhat of a captive audience to the president.” 

She said she was asked to participate in what’s being called “People’s State of the Union” to talk about issues that she and others feel are important to most Americans.

“Some people like the idea of standing up and protesting during the president’s speech and I for one am one that feels like we can do our protesting here and they can have the State of the Union there,” she said.

Maine’s other representative to Congress, Democrat Jared Golden, told Spectrum News he will watch the address from home.

According to her spokeswoman, Republican Sen. Susan Collins will attend the speech in Washington. A spokesman for independent Sen. Angus King said his schedule is still in flux. 

Trump’s speech is set for 9 p.m. Tuesday.