Al Green escorted out of State of the Union after holding 'Black people aren't apes' sign

al green was escorted from the House chamber minutes into President Donald Trump's State of the Union address after he lingered in the center aisle holding a sign that read "Black people aren't apes!", the 78-year-old Texas Democrat said he wanted the president to see it.

Al Green escorted from House chamber

Green, a 78-year-old Texas Democrat, held the sign "Black people aren't apes!" as the president began his address and was escorted out of the chamber just minutes into the speech. He told shortly after that he had wanted the president to see the sign and that the president "knows" his action was racist. Green said, "At some point, you cannot let racism continue. If you tolerate it, you perpetuate it. I refuse to tolerate racism. The president needs to know that Black people aren't apes, and he should have apologized for what he did. "

Second year removed and tense aisle confrontation

The removal marked the second year in a row Green has been removed from the annual event; last year he was ordered out by House Speaker Mike Johnson for yelling responses during the speech. This year’s protest was silent but pointed. As he was escorted from the room, multiple Republican representatives tried to grab at or block the sign from cameras, Representative Troy Nehls could be seen aggressively engaging with Green just before a staffer led him to the door, and Senator Markwayne Mullin also approached him menacingly. Green walked out clutching his walking stick and his protest sign amid acrimonious exchanges and some Republicans chanting "USA! USA!"

Democrats urged silence; some members boycotted

House Democratic leaders had made unambiguous demands: keep quiet in the House chamber or skip the president's speech altogether, and they cautioned members not to bring signs that could create awkward moments. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier Tuesday, "There was an understanding that members are either going to plan to attend and those who are not going to attend are going to boycott the event and express their opposition to Donald Trump and a variety of the other different things that will be taking place, " and added that he was "not concerned" anyone would defy his wishes. Dozens of Democrats had been expected to boycott, and several Democrats instead sat solemnly while many Republicans leapt to their feet to clap at the end of nearly every sentence the president delivered.

Other protests, walkouts and shouted exchanges

Green was not alone in protesting the speech. Senator Mark Warner posted on Bluesky that he "couldn't sit through an hour of Trump's lies" and left while the president was outlining his economic claims. Representative Bill Foster shared on X that he gave himself "5 bald-faced lies" — the same as last year — and wrote, "Less than one hour into his speech, I'm out. " Representative Rashida Tlaib, wearing a pin that read "release the files", could be heard yelling about the killing of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse shot to death by federal agents: "They saw the videos, Mr President, " she yelled. Representative Ilhan Omar shouted, "You should be ashamed, " and repeatedly yelled, "you have killed Americans. " The account in the provided context ends mid-sentence with the fragment "Omar and Tlai"; the remainder is unclear in the provided context.

Green's stance, history and what he said afterward

Green has long been among the president's critics and was the first member of Congress to call for his impeachment, as early as 2017. He represents a predominantly African American district and has a record of civil rights advocacy and previous disruptions at the U. S. Capitol to challenge the president. Outside the chamber after being removed, Green said the ouster was "of no consequence, " that he still held his sign for cameras, and that nothing would prevent him from doing what he believed was righteous. He also told reporters, "I'm not defying the leadership. What I'm doing is making a point to the president, " and added, "You have to take a stand. I am just a person who has done it – but there are many others, I believe, who would. "

Context of the protest and next scheduled event

Green's sign referenced a controversy earlier this month in which the president shared and then deleted a video that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes; the president refused to apologize for the Truth Social post, saying he hadn't seen the final frames containing the offensive content and blamed a staffer. Democrats noted that Green's protest came one week out from a difficult primary battle in which he faces a member-on-member race. The next confirmed milestone in the provided context is that Green is one week away from that primary contest.