Texas Democrat Al Green was ejected from President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night after holding a sign reading “Black people aren’t apes!” The ejection marked the second consecutive year Green has been removed from the annual event, this time for a silent protest rather than the vocal interruptions that led to his expulsion in 2023.
As Trump began his speech, Green lingered in the centre aisle brandishing the sign, a reference to the president’s past sharing of a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama. House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered his removal, and multiple Republican representatives attempted to grab the sign or block it from cameras. Green was escorted out by a staffer, still clutching the placard and his walking stick, as some Republicans chanted “USA! USA!”
Green’s seat was left empty except for a handwritten cardboard sign reading “Al Green”. He later told reporters outside the chamber that his removal was “of no consequence” and that he would continue to do what he believed was righteous. “You have to take a stand,” he said, adding that he was “just a person who has done it”.
Several other Democrats also expressed opposition during the speech. Many remained seated while Republicans stood to applaud, and some left early. Senator Mark Warner posted that he “couldn’t sit through an hour of Trump’s lies”, while Representative Bill Foster said he left after counting “5 bald-faced lies”. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar shouted criticism and left the chamber before the speech ended.
