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Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, once again got himself removed from President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, but he did get his message out Tuesday night and he believes it is akin to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
“BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!” blared his all-caps sign, a shot at Trump’s now-deleted social media video spoofing “The Lion King” with Democrats’ faces in the characters of the animated movie, including Michelle and Barack Obama as some version of primates.
“Now there are people who believe that I should not take a stand such as this,” a calmer Green told reporters outside the House chambers, still proudly holding the sign out. “There are others who have taken stands, and they, too have been vilified. Dr. King went to jail for taking a stand. Rosa Parks went to the jail for taking a stand.”
“Sometimes you have to take a stand. Rosa Parks was alone when she was arrested in a racist Southern town, but she was there. There are times when it is, on some issues, better to stand alone than not stand all,” he continued. “I stood alone, but I assure you, I will do it again because you must know that there are people who will take a stand against his insidious behavior.”
Green went out with an escort, mostly without incident – although House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., forcibly attempted to rip the sign out of Green’s hand.
Last year, Green shook his cane at Trump before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., stood to order the House sergeant at arms to take the lawmaker out.
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This year, multiple Republicans, including Reps. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, and John McGuire, R-Va., attempted to block the sign from cameras. Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan., stood directly in front of Green just before his removal.
As Green was led out, Republican lawmakers and allies chanted, “USA, USA.”
Speaking to reporters outside the chamber, Green defended his actions, stating, “We must take a stand against this level of discrimination.”
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Green’s history of protest is well-documented; he was removed from last year’s address for interrupting the president. This may be one of Green’s final acts in the House, as he faces a highly contested primary next week that could end his 11-term career.
“I wanted him to know, and I wanted to see it and hear it up close, but judging from the expression on his face, he got the message,” Green told reporters. “He saw it. He got the message.”
Green, regardless of his future in the House, hopes he remains a bold inspiration for others like MLK Jr. and Parks were.
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“I believe that there are others who agree with me,” Green told reporters. “For some reason, they’re not ready to do what I do.”
Green was undaunted about any backlash for a repeat State of the Union ejection.
“The consequences were of no consequence to me,” he continued. “You have to take a stand. The consequences are of no consequence – in the sense that I wouldn’t allow the consequences to prevent me from doing what I believe is a righteous thing to do.”
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, protests with a ‘BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES’ sign as President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
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“Dr. King did not allow the consequence to prevent him from going to Birmingham, and he went to jail,” Green added. “Rosa Parks did not allow the consequences to prevent her from taking a seat on the bus. That’s where we are now. We are back to a point where people have to take a stand. I’m just a person who has done it.”
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