Overview
- Rep. Al Green was escorted from the House chamber minutes into President Trump’s address after displaying a sign reading “Black People Aren’t Apes,” a reference to a Trump-posted video that depicted the Obamas as apes.
- Republican members tried to block or seize Green’s sign, and he exchanged words with Rep. Troy Nehls as he exited, marking his second ejection in two years following a 2025 incident that led to his censure.
- Despite House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urging “silent defiance,” several Democrats disrupted the speech; Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar repeatedly heckled Trump over immigration and other claims, with Tlaib also shouting about releasing the Epstein files.
- Speaker Mike Johnson called Democrats’ conduct “shameful” and said he probably could have ejected additional members, while GOP allies began highlighting Democrats’ floor reactions for political messaging.
- Outside the Capitol, Democrats ran parallel, livestreamed responses — including MoveOn and MeidasTouch’s “People’s State of the Union” and Defiance.org’s “State of the Swamp” — focusing on immigration enforcement, tariffs, and Epstein-related demands.