WASHINGTON — Rep. Al Green (D-TX) broke his silence after he was forced out of the State of the Union address Tuesday night over confronting President Donald Trump.
Just as the president entered the House Chamber, Majority Leader of the House Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) ripped a sign of Green's that said "Black people aren't apes" moments before Trump delivered his speech.
"As you know, the president has depicted the former president, the Obamas, as apes. And if we tolerate this level of racism and perpetuate it, I refuse to tolerate it," Green told Raw Story.
"I don’t want to see it normalized," he explained. "And that’s why I flashed this [sign] to the president so there would be no questions where I stand. He needs to know that there’s some people who have the courage to tell him things that he doesn’t want to hear and that nobody else will tell him. And on some issues, it’s better to stand alone than not stand at all. So I stood alone…”
Rep. Al Green speaks with @MattLaslo for Raw Story after his removal at SOTU
"As you know, the president has depicted the former president, the Obamas, as apes. And if we tolerate this level of racism and perpetuate it, I refuse to tolerate it. I don’t want to see it normalized.
— Nicole Charky-Chami (@NicoleCharky) February 25, 2026
And one some issues it’s better to stand alone than not stand at all. So I stood alone…” pic.twitter.com/CgSdntb3hJ
— Nicole Charky-Chami (@NicoleCharky) February 25, 2026