Al Green Escorted Out of Chamber During Trump Address After ‘Black people aren’t apes’ Sign
Texas Representative al green was escorted from the House chamber on Tuesday night almost immediately after he stood in the center aisle holding a cardboard sign that read “Black people aren’t apes!” His removal came amid a broader Democratic boycott and visible tensions between members as the president delivered the State of the Union address.
Al Green removed by staff after aisle protest
As the address began and many attendees sat down, al green lingered in the center aisle brandishing the sign, a reference to the president sharing a racist video depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama. Multiple Republican representatives attempted to grab at or block the sign from cameras while a staffer escorted Green to the door. He walked out clutching a walking stick and the protest sign; some Republicans chanted “USA! USA!” during acrimonious exchanges in the aisle. His seat was left empty and marked with a handwritten cardboard placard that said “Al Green. ”
Mike Johnson and last year’s removal
The ejection marked the second consecutive year Green has been removed from the annual event. Last year he was ordered out by House speaker Mike Johnson after yelling responses during the president’s remarks; this year’s protest was silent but pointed. Outside the chamber Green described the removal as “of no consequence, ” holding the sign for cameras and saying, “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. ”
Troy Nehls and Markwayne Mullin confront aisle protest
Representative Troy Nehls, also from Texas, was seen aggressively engaging with Green as he passed by the Republicans’ side of the chamber, and Senator Markwayne Mullin approached Green in what was described as a menacing manner. Those interactions preceded the staffer escort that removed Green from the floor.
Dozens of Democrats sit or walk out during address
Dozens of colleagues boycotted the State of the Union, and several Democrats who remained in the chamber sat solemnly while Republican members repeatedly leapt to their feet to applaud at the ends of many sentences. Several Democrats left the chamber before the speech concluded. Senator Mark Warner posted on the social network Bluesky that he “couldn’t sit through an hour of Trump’s lies” and left while the president was laying out economic achievements. Representative Bill Foster shared on X that he gave himself “5 bald-faced lies” — the same benchmark he used last year — and wrote, “Less than one hour into his speech, I’m out. ”
Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar challenge comments on enforcement
When the president addressed immigration enforcement and called for funding for the Department of Homeland Security to applause from Republicans, several Democrats vocally pushed back. 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. They saw the videos. ” Representative Ilhan Omar shouted, “You should be ashamed, ” and repeatedly yelled, “you have killed Americans, ” in response to the president’s comments and his rebuke of Democrats for not joining him in standing.
What makes this notable is the repetition of the same protest tactic a year after Green’s prior ejection, underscoring how the dissent played out both publicly in the chamber and across digital platforms. The timing matters because the protest coincided with a highly visible national address and a clear split in floor behavior: dozens of boycott actions, on-the-floor silence from Democrats, vocal confrontations from individual members, and sustained applause from Republicans.
Green’s long-standing role as an outspoken critic of the president was highlighted by his history of early calls for impeachment, dating back to 2017, and by his representation of a predominantly African American district and long record on civil-rights issues. The immediate cause—his display of the sign referencing the Obama depiction—led directly to the formal action of removal by chamber staff, producing physical confrontation, visible dissent in the chamber, and walkouts by fellow Democrats.
