A Democratic congresswoman was caught on camera playing Candy Crush during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
Michigan Rep. Brenda Lawrence tapped her way through the game on her iPhone while Donald Trump was speaking about revamping America’s international trade posture.
New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman was reading responses to her tweet about the president’s alleged ‘white nationalism’ while he talked.
And Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty was inspecting a proposed press release reacting to the speech – while it was barely a third of the way through.
STATE OF THE DEMOCRATS: A Getty Images photographer captured three Congressional Black Caucus members on their phones while Donald Trump delivered his high-stakes speech on Tuesday
WHAT LEVEL IS SHE ON? Michigan Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a onetime post office employee, tapped her way through the game on her iPhone while Trump spoke about the economy and trade
New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (left) was reading responses to her tweet about the president’s alleged ‘white nationalism’ while Trump talked, and Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty (right) was inspecting a proposed press release reacting to the speech
Beatty’s spokesman told DailyMail.com on Thursday that she had read the entire speech already, and wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.
‘That State of the Union is put out an hour in advance so Democrats and Republicans can read along,’ the spokesman said.
‘And while the speech was going on, she was putting together a statement in response.’
The other two congresswomen’s offices, however, didn’t offer any explanation.
Lawrence’s spokeswoman said she was ‘in an event’ and couldn’t be reached, and offered no explanation.
It’s unclear from the picture what level of Candy Crush she was on. Members of Congress are paid $174,000 per year.
Lawrence has boasted that she is ‘the only Member of Congress with the experience of a full career in the Postal Service.’ Her postoffice career spanned three decades.
Watson Coleman’s representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Most of the Black Caucus members sat quietly or took notes while Republicans (top left) applauded the president, but Lawrence, Beatty, and Watson (center left) had other ideas
Democratic Reps. Brenda Lawrence, Joyce Beatty, and Bonnie Watson Coleman are pictured Tuesday night standing in front of their seats in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol
A photographer captured the telling image at 9:42 p.m., according to Getty Images.
At that moment, Trump was declaring that ‘the era of economic surrender is totally over. From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and, very importantly, reciprocal.’
Watson Coleman was pictured reading responses to a tweet she sent at 9:30 p.m., at about the time the president drew applause for saying that ‘in America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of American life.’
The Congressional Black Caucus member’s tweet left no doubt about her feelings toward Trump.
Rep. Watson Coleman tweeted this critique of Trump during his speech on Tuesday, saying he is surrounded by ‘white nationalists’
At the moment the ‘Candy Crush’ photo was taken, she was reading this reply to her tweet, which asked if she ‘ever get[s] tired of screaming about race’
Trump delivered his first official State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday night
‘I do not share the same heart as @realDonaldTrump and the white nationalists he surrounds himself with,’ she wrote. ‘Don’t be fooled by the words that were written for him. We know what is really in his heart.’
On her screen when the photo was snapped was a disbelieving response from a Trump supporter.
‘Of course, it’s about race,’ Doug Johnson fumed. ‘Do you ever get tired of screaming about race? It’s like crying wolf. At some point, nobody believes you.’
Tuesday’s candid photograph was shot from behind the three women, but a group shot of CBC members posted by Beatty on Twitter makes it clear who they were based on their outfits, jewelry, and position.
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