Just minutes after the president began his State of the Nation address Tuesday night, Democratic Rep. Al Green was escorted from the chamber, apparently for holding a sign that read, “BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT MONKEYS!” in protest.
The poster was referring to a video Trump shared on social media earlier this month, in which the former president and former first lady Michelle Obama . Although Trump later deleted the video, he refused to apologize for posting it.
They tried to grab the placard from his hands
Green was sitting front and center in the room and was already holding his placard before the president even entered. Some Republicans asked him to take it down, while others tried to snatch it from his hands.
Green remained standing and silently holding the placard even after Trump began speaking.
Less than two minutes into the speech, as the president declared that the United States is “bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” Green was removed from his seat.
As he walked down the aisle, he was seen waving his cane and exchanging heated words with Republican lawmakers, including Pat Fallon (R-Texas), who tried to grab the placard.
“I just told him it was a shame,” Fallon later told the Washington Post via text message.
The first incident
Green was also removed last March when Trump addressed a joint session of Congress.
At the time, Green interrupted to shout that Trump “has no right” to cut Medicaid, prompting a backlash from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).
After Green continued to yell and refused to sit down, Johnson ordered the House usher to remove him from the chamber.
