A heated exchange on CNN is drawing sharp reactions after former Democratic Rep. Val Demings appeared to minimize the devastating injuries suffered by Dalilah Coleman — the young girl highlighted by President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address.
Trump used the moment to call for the passage of “Dalilah’s Law,” legislation that would bar states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. The proposal is named after Coleman, who was severely injured in a 2024 crash involving a tractor-trailer driven by an illegal immigrant. The driver was later arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September.
During CNN NewsNight, Demings — who served as one of the House Democrats prosecuting Trump during his first impeachment — shifted the conversation away from Coleman and toward other violent crimes, including the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.
“How do you not mention that two people died in that environment?” Demings asked, criticizing the tone of Trump’s speech. She also accused the president of failing to deliver a unifying message, referencing his jab at Democrats during the address.
But New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan pushed back forcefully.
“When you go through some of the moments he went through, right, he pointed to a little girl Dalilah, who was almost killed by an illegal alien, miraculously came back,” Moynihan said. “She was there with her dad. When you have Democrats who won’t stand and applaud her recovery, yeah, I think that’s crazy.”
Unbelievably, Val Demings dismisses @DalilahColeman‘s tragic story on CNN. Is she another “living heart donor?” (hat tip to @HARRISFAULKNER) @DailyCaller
— Harold Hutchison (@HaroldHutchison) February 26, 2026
Unbelievably, Val Demings dismisses The moment referenced by Moynihan occurred when Trump asked whether lawmakers could at least agree to put American citizens ahead of illegal immigrants. Democrats remained seated.
Demings responded by broadening the argument.
“Sadly, people are killed in America every day, sadly, and the majority of them are killed by U.S. citizens,” she said. “Whether it’s an undocumented immigrant or a U.S. citizen who is the perpetrator, bottom line is, somebody has died or someone has been seriously injured.”
The exchange comes as Republicans intensify their focus on immigration enforcement and licensing standards. Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana formally introduced legislation Wednesday to prohibit states from issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants.
The issue gained renewed attention after another deadly crash in August. In that case, an illegal immigrant allegedly attempted an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway, killing three people. Investigators reported that the driver failed an English proficiency test and could not identify multiple traffic signs.
Trump’s administration has since moved to tighten scrutiny on commercial licenses issued to non-citizens.
The debate over Dalilah’s Law is quickly becoming a flashpoint — not just over immigration policy, but over how victims are acknowledged in America’s increasingly polarized political arena.
