Fact Check: Did Kyrsten Sinema sit on Republican side during Biden SOTU?

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address was characterized by moments of high drama, with Republican representatives heckling the speech, even appearing to prompt House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to intervene.

Among the hecklers, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was seen calling the president a “liar”, with Biden attempting to foster calm, arguing against “conflict for the sake of conflict.”

According to social media, there was less vocal theater at play too, with claims that Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-AZ) had crossed over the aisle to sit away from her former Democratic colleagues during the address.

The Claim

A tweet by user @ReplaceSinema, posted on February 8, 2023, claimed that Independent Senator Krysten Sinema, a former Democrat, had crossed the aisle of the House to sit with Republicans during the State of the Union address.

The tweet, which has been viewed more than 201,000 times, said: “Kyrsten Sinema is sitting on the Republican side of the aisle tonight. Seems about right. #SOTU #StateOfTheUnion“

The Facts

When registering as an Independent in December 2022, Sinema said she was proud to have worked with senators from both parties. Photos taken in February 2023 showed Sinema dining with McCarthy, sparking anger among left-leaning critics on social media.

Before leaving the Democrats, Sinema also made headlines by voting against a number of progressive proposals, including a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which she rejected with a thumbs-down gesture.

Moving to sit across the aisle in other circumstances could be seen as an affront to her former party.

As stated by House literature, from the perspective of the entrance of the main central entrance to the chamber, traditionally: “Republicans are on the right and Democrats on the left.”

Although Sinema did sit on the other side of the aisle, alongside Republican colleagues, the chamber was not split along partisan lines during the address.

Photos show her sitting alongside and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) during the session. In the same row is Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a Democrat.

She also was pictured beforehand in conversation elsewhere with Romney and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AK).

Wider shots of the chamber, however, show Rep. Al Green (D-TX), sitting almost directly behind Sinema.

Other photos show that behind Green, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) sat alongside Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN).

The wider chamber photo also shows senior Democrats from within the Biden Administration down at the front of the same section as Sinema.

This group includes Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

As an Independent, Sinema is less bound by congressional etiquette and (in any case) Democrats took to the other side of the aisle during the address. This was almost certainly due to the number of politicians, officials, and guests in attendance.

A spokesperson for Sinema told Newsweek: “Senator Sinema is an Independent. In her row were seated Democrats, Republicans, and herself, an Independent.”

The Ruling

Needs Context.

While Sinema was seen on what is traditionally the Republican side of the aisle alongside Romney and Youngo, the chamber was not split into partisan lines during the State of the Union address.

Sat behind Sinema in the same section were several Democrats, and senior members of the Biden Administration were also sat a few rows in front.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team