In a scene that briefly halted the start of the 2026 State of the Union address, U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was forcibly escorted from the House chamber on Tuesday night. The 78-year-old congressman was removed just minutes after President Donald Trump took the podium, following a silent but provocative protest involving a handheld sign.
The sign, which read in bold letters “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!”, was a direct response to a controversial video shared by the President on social media earlier this month.
The Catalyst: The “Lion King” Video Controversy
The protest stems from a video Trump reposted to his Truth Social account in early February 2026. The minute-long clip, which promoted 2020 election conspiracy theories, ended with a two-second segment depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed onto the bodies of apes.
- White House Response: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed the backlash as “fake outrage,” describing the video as a “Lion King” meme depicting Trump as the “King of the Jungle.”
- The Deletion: The video was eventually removed. Trump later claimed a staffer posted it “erroneously” and told reporters on Air Force One that he hadn’t seen the end of the clip, though he notably refused to apologize.
Chaos on the House Floor
Green, a longtime critic of Trump and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was positioned near the front of the chamber. He reportedly unfurled the sign as the President entered, leading to a series of tense physical confrontations with Republican lawmakers.
- Attempted Seizure: Several GOP members, including Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), reportedly tried to grab the sign from Green’s hands or block it from television cameras.
- The Ejection: Less than two minutes into the address, as Trump declared the nation “stronger than ever,” the House Sergeant at Arms escorted Green from his seat. As he was led away, Green was seen shaking his cane and exchanging sharp words with colleagues.
- A “Mandate” of Dissent: This marks the second year in a row Green has been removed from a Trump address; in 2025, he was ejected for shouting that the President had “no mandate” to cut Medicaid.
A Divided Chamber
The ejection of Rep. Green set a combative tone for an evening already defined by deep partisan divides. While Republicans met the President’s entrance with raucous chants of “USA! USA!”, the Democratic side of the aisle remained largely silent—a strategy of “silent defiance” encouraged by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Other Notable Protests:
- The Boycott: Approximately 30 Democratic lawmakers skipped the address entirely, attending a “People’s State of the Union” rally on the National Mall.
- Symbolic Pins: Many attending Democrats wore white lapel pins reading “Release the Epstein Files,” signaling a bipartisan push for more transparency regarding the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
- Vocal Outbursts: Later in the speech, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) shouted “Liar!” when Trump made claims regarding the Somali community and taxpayer fraud.
“These are not normal times, and Democrats have to stop behaving normally,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told protesters at the alternate rally, explaining the decision of many to bypass the constitutional ceremony.
Public and Political Reaction
The reaction to Green’s ejection has been split along predictable lines. Supporters of the Congressman praised his “moral courage” for confronting the President’s rhetoric, while critics labeled the move a “disrespectful stunt” that violated House decorum.
As of Wednesday morning, the White House has not issued a formal statement on Green’s removal, though the President paused briefly during the incident to say “Thank you” to the cheering Republican side before continuing his record-breaking one hour and 48-minute speech.
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