Topline
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was escorted from the House chamber Tuesday during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, after standing and interrupting the speech—one of several Democrats to protest the event.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) shouts out as U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress … [+]
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Green appeared to stand and yell while Trump described his electoral victory, drawing boos from the Republican side of the chamber.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned Green to sit down, before directing the House Sergeant at Arms to “restore order”—after which Green was approached by several people and walked out of the chamber.
Green later told reporters he yelled that Trump “has no mandate to cut Medicaid,” a federal program providing healthcare for tens of millions of Americans.
Some other Democrats silently protested Trump’s speech, holding small signs that said things like “MUSK STEALS” and “PROTECT VETERANS.”
Other Democrats like Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost exited the chamber after taking off their jackets to reveal words and phrases on their backs such as “RESIST” and “NO MORE KINGS,” according to NBC News.
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Contra
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., discouraged Democrats from interrupting the speech, Axios reported earlier Tuesday. The message was: “Express your resistance … but don’t become the story,” one unnamed Democrat told the outlet.
Who Is Al Green?
Green, 77, has represented the Houston area in the House for about 20 years, after previously serving as a Justice of the Peace and president of the NAACP’s Houston branch, according to his official biography. A firebrand, Green filed articles of impeachment against Trump several times in his first term, sometimes defying Democratic leadership, and he announced plans to file for impeachment again in early February. He drew attention last year, when he appeared on the House floor in a wheelchair and a hospital gown—as he recovered from abdominal surgery—to cast the deciding vote against impeaching President Joe Biden’s Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, defeating a resolution promoted by Republicans.
What Did Trump Say In His Speech?
In addition to touting his policy goals—including his border crackdown and tariffs—Trump repeatedly attacked Democrats during his speech and lashed out against former President Joe Biden, whom he called the “worst president in American history.” The president jabbed at Democrats, saying there is “absolutely nothing” he could say “to make them happy,” and asking Democrats, “why not join us?” At one point, he derided “radical left lunatics” while gesturing toward the Democratic side of the chamber. Trump also introduced billionaire cost-cutting czar Elon Musk and boosted his Department of Government Efficiency, which has made sweeping cuts across the federal government, drawing outrage from Democrats and plaudits from Republicans. Trump dedicated large parts of the speech to his border policies, at one point introducing the family of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student who was killed by an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, becoming a flashpoint in the immigration debate.
Tangent
Democrats also pushed back against Trump prior to his speech, criticizing his 25% tariffs against key trading partners Canada and Mexico and scrutinizing the president for recently pulling U.S. aid from Ukraine, which has spent three years defending itself from a Russian military invasion. Lawmakers like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va., boycotted the speech, with Murphy saying in a tweet, “I think this is an exceptional moment and I just can’t act like it’s business as usual.”
Further Reading
How Trump Could Affect Social Security And Medicare—Group Warns Funds Could Run Out In 6 Years Under His Plans (Forbes)
Trump Threatens More Tariffs Against Canada—Here’s How The New Levies Could Impact Prices (Forbes)
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