SUMMARY
- Green was removed shortly after displaying a sign during the nationally televised address.
- This marks the second consecutive year Green was escorted from a State of the Union event after prior disruptions.
- The incident highlights ongoing tensions over race and decorum in Congress.
WASHINGTON — Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, was escorted from the House chamber Tuesday evening during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address after displaying a protest sign.
Green held a sign reading, “Black people aren’t apes,” apparently referencing a controversial social media post by Trump featuring former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in demeaning imagery. The post was later removed following bipartisan criticism.
Green’s removal drew attention to racial sensitivities during a speech meant to outline the president’s legislative priorities, intensifying the partisan atmosphere in the House chamber.
Green, representing Texas’s 9th Congressional District since 2005, was censured last year for disrupting Trump’s address.
The social media content that inspired the protest had sparked widespread outrage before it was deleted.
Dr. Karen Hult, political science professor at George Mason University, said the event reflects heightened polarization and challenges to congressional norms.
Reverend Michael Chan of Georgetown University noted the imagery evokes a harmful historical stereotype.
Dr. Elaine Rivers, civil rights advocate, said the protest “addresses the real world effects of dehumanizing imagery.” Representative Hakeem Jeffries noted the historical context of racial caricatures.
House leadership will continue enforcing decorum, while Democrats weigh additional measures to highlight racial equity issues.
The removal underscores persistent tension between protest and procedure at high profile congressional events.
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