Rep. Steve King (R-IA) said he would leave an empty seat at President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night to honor “aborted babies,” after the White House announced it would leave a seat next to Michelle Obama vacant in memory of gun violence victims.
King called Obama the “most pro-abortion president ever” in a statement.
“The first tears we have seen him shed in seven years were for the victims of the tragic Sandy Hook School shooting,” King wrote. “As far as we know, Obama has never shed a single tear for even one of the more than 9 million babies aborted under his watch.”
King said that he would also leave his own seat vacant during the address.
“I will be in the Member’s chapel praying for God to raise up a leader whom he will use to restore the Soul of America,” he said in the statement.
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz also said last week that he would leave a seat open for aborted fetuses.
Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address at 9 p.m. ET.
This post has been updated.