As dozens of their colleagues boycotted Trump’s State of the Union address, several of the Democrats in the House chamber on Tuesday night made their opposition to the president’s remarks clear.
Congressman Al Green was ejected from the speech almost immediately, marking the second year in a row he has been removed from the annual event. After being ordered out by House speaker Mike Johnson during last year’s speech for yelling responses as the president spoke, this year’s protest from the Texas representative was silent but pointed.
As Trump began his address and other attendees sat down, Green lingered in the center aisle brandishing a sign that read “Black people aren’t apes!” He continued to hold the sign – a reference to the US president sharing a racist video depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama – as he was escorted from the room, even as multiple Republican representatives tried to grab at it or block it from being viewed by cameras.
Representative Troy Nehls, also from Texas, could be seen aggressively engaging with Green as he passed by, just before a staffer escorted the Democratic lawmaker to the door. Senator Markwayne Mullin also approached Green menacingly.
As Green walked out of the chamber, clutching his walking stick and protest sign, there were some acrimonious exchanges with Republicans, a few of whom began chanting “USA! USA!”
Green’s seat was left sitting empty save for a handwritten cardboard sign that said “Al Green.”
Green has been among Trump’s top critics, and was the first member of Congress to call for his impeachment, as early as 2017. He also represents a predominantly African American district and has long fought for civil rights.
The removal for the second time was “of no consequence”, Green told reporters outside the chamber, as he still held his sign for cameras to see. He said nothing would prevent him from doing what he believed was a righteous thing to do. “You have to take a stand,” he added. “I am just a person who has done it – but there are many others, I believe, who would.”
Green was not alone in his protests against the president. Democrats spent much of the speech solemnly sitting as their Republican colleagues leapt to their feet to clap at the end of just about every sentence uttered by Trump.
As Trump made comments about his immigration enforcement agenda to a standing ovation from Republicans, and as he rebuked Democrats for not joining as he called for Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security, Representative Rashida Tlaib, who was sporting a pin that read “release the files”, could be heard yelling back about the killing of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse shot to death by federal agents.
“They saw the videos, Mr. President,” she yelled, “They saw the videos.”
Representative Ilhan Omar shouted “You should be ashamed,” as Trump told Democrats they should be ashamed, and repeatedly yelled “you have killed Americans”.
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