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Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who skipped President Donald Trump’s State of the Union to attend Democrat counter-programming, hailed a group of frog-clad protesters as “patriots,” crediting them for defeating Trump’s anti-crime efforts in Portland, Oregon.
“Boy, the frogs are rocking this town,” Wyden said on Tuesday night. “I’m with the frogs, and I’m with all of you. Because political change starts at the grassroots.”
“For weeks, social media was flooded with these wonderful patriots. Videos of unicyclers, naked bike riders, the guy in the chicken suit, and a whole lot of frogs,” he continued.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., left, pictured next to protestors wearing inflatable frog costumes standing in a congressional office, right. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“When Donald Trump sent his agents to the streets of Portland, we took on authoritarianism, and we won!” Wyden said.
The frogs, part of an organization called the Portland Frog Brigade, use “inflatable animal costumes to practice the proven art of peaceful, creative dissent, exercising our right to free expression in defense of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law,” according to their website.
In September, as part of a crackdown on crime, the Trump administration announced it would send National Guard troops to Portland among other urban centers across the country. In Portland, the order sparked social unrest and protests, including backlash from local officials.
“Portland is an American city, not a military target,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a post on social media.
“President Trump has directed all necessary troops to Portland, Oregon. The number of necessary troops is zero.”
Almost immediately, the state launched a legal challenge to the deployment in the case of Oregon v. Trump, arguing that the administration lacked the legal authority to use federal troops to combat local crime.
US JUDGE EXTENDS ORDER BLOCKING TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT IN PORTLAND
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address included a handful of top moments, including awards to military veterans and Democrat outbursts. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
As that legal battle raged inside the courtroom, the city’s person-based crime — such as homicides, kidnappings, sexual offenses, and vehicular manslaughter — has fallen marginally every consecutive month, according to data from Portland’s Police Bureau.
From Oct. 2025 to Jan. 2026, person-related crimes are down 18%. Total crime, including property and social crimes like drug offenses, is down 8%.
But in December, Trump began winding down his deployment to Portland as its legal battle began to run into a series of losses.
As recently as last Tuesday, the Trump administration ended its efforts to overturn a Ninth Circuit order halting Trump’s deployment of the guard to Portland.
“Oregon National Guard members are currently in transit to Fort Bliss, Texas, where they will demobilize, and the demobilization process will take approximately 7 to 14 days to complete,” the court ruled on Jan. 8, 2026.
OREGON RESIDENTS SUE HOMELAND SECURITY AFTER TEAR GAS USED ON ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS
Federal agents clash with anti-I.C.E. protesters at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Oct. 12, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
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Wyden celebrated the decision.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Wyden’s framing of the administration’s drawdown of the National Guard from Portland.
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