Only minutes into President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, Representative Al Green, Democrat of Texas, made a silent protest that resulted in him being escorted by security officials from the House chamber.
Mr. Green, 79, stood silently holding a sign that read in capital letters, “Black people aren’t apes!,” an apparent reference to a racist video clip Mr. Trump posted on his social media page this month portraying former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
It was the second act of protest by Mr. Green during a Trump speech in as many years: He was ejected from the House chamber in 2025 during Mr. Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress for loudly heckling the president.
This time, the disruption was quieter. A member of the floor staff approached Mr. Green, tried to lower his sign, and then appeared to ask him to leave.
Lawmakers sought to intervene as well.
Representative Steve Scalise, the Louisiana Republican serving as majority leader, saw the sign as he was entering the chamber with Mr. Trump and tried to grab it away from Mr. Green.
As the president began speaking, two Republican senators, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Roger Marshall of Kansas, tried to stand in front of Mr. Green to shield his sign from the view of the cameras and the president.
And as Mr. Green made his way toward the exit, being jeered and drowned out by “U.S.A.!” chants, Representative Troy Nehls of Texas, another Trump ally, sought to seize the sign, leaning into the aisle to make several lunges at his colleague.
As the ordeal came to a close and Mr. Green was escorted through the chamber doors, Mr. Trump simply said “thank you” before continuing his with remarks.
The entire interaction lasted only a few minutes and was far less dramatic than last year’s shouting match between Mr. Green and Speaker Mike Johnson, which ultimately resulted in a censure for the Texas lawmaker.
Democratic leaders had warned members against engaging in any such displays and urged them to maintain decorum so as not to be a distraction during Mr. Trump’s speech.
Some other Democrats who have been outspoken against the president and participated in other forms of silent protest during last year’s speech opted to skip the event this year and held counterprogramming events instead.
Robert Jimison covers Congress for The Times, with a focus on defense issues and foreign policy.
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