Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was escorted from the House chamber moments into President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, after unfurling a sign declaring “Black people are not monkeys!”
The protest targeted a recent AI-generated video Trump shared on Truth Social depicting former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle—a post the White House deleted amid backlash and blamed on a staffer.
Green stood silently with the sign shortly after Trump began speaking around 9 p.m. EST, aiming to force public accountability.
Security removed him quickly, echoing past disruptions by Green during Trump speeches.
“I wanted the president to see, to hear, and told him Black people [are not] monkeys… We have [to] make it clear to him publicly that we know,” Green said post-removal.
Earlier this month, Trump posted (then retracted) the offensive meme without apology, claiming he “didn’t see” the racist frames.
In a February 7 AP interview, Green called it “raw, rank racism,” linking it to centuries of dehumanizing stereotypes associating Black people with monkeys.
He urged confronting such imagery to affirm “our dignity, our humanity.”
House Democrats, including leadership like Hakeem Jeffries, urged silence or absence as protest against Trump.
Green dismissed following orders: “I’m not the leadership… I refuse [to] tolerate racism.”
The incident highlights deepening congressional divides, with Green—a vocal Trump critic—using high-profile moments for visible stands.
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