AOC, Ayanna Pressley won't attend Trump's State of the Union

Ocasio-Cortez, who has become a celebrated progressive icon and taken on an outsized profile for a first-term member of Congress, explained her decision in a tweet, saying that she did not want to "use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump's lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution."

"After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump's lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution. None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it. Consequently, I will not be attending the State of the Union," she wrote.

Pressley described her decision as a boycott and called the speech by the President, which will take place at the Capitol on Tuesday evening, as a "sham."

"On the eve of Senate Republicans covering up transgressions and spreading misinformation, I cannot in good conscience attend a sham State of the Union when I have seen firsthand the damage Donald J. Trump's rhetoric and policies have inflicted on those I love and those I represent," Pressley said in a statement.

"The State of the Union is hurting because of the occupant of the White House, who consistently demonstrates contempt for the American people, contempt for Congress, and contempt for our constitution - strong-arming a sham impeachment trial in the Senate. This presidency is not legitimate," she said.

Trump's annual address to Congress takes place this year with Washington in a state of heightened tension as the Senate impeachment trial of the President continues. The Senate is expected to take a final vote on acquittal or conviction on Wednesday and the President is all but guaranteed to be acquitted with votes from the Republican majority in the upper chamber.