HOUSTON – During President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, there was no shortage of headline‑making moments — from the record‑setting length of the speech to sharp divides over immigration, the economy and the cost of living.
One of the most striking scenes of the night came when Texas Congressman Al Green was escorted out of the House chamber — for the second year in a row.
Recommended Videos
Minutes into the speech, Green stood and held up a sign that read, “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES.”
The protest was aimed at a now‑deleted video shared by the White House that showed former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s faces photoshopped onto apes imagery widely condemned as racist.
As officers moved to escort Green out, cameras also captured Texas Republican Congressman Troy Nehls grabbing the poster from his hands.
KPRC 2 reached out to Nehls for comment.
“Representative Al Green’s behavior last night was a disgrace. He will do anything for just one minute of fame, even if it means embarrassing the great state of Texas,” Congressman Troy Nehls stated.
In a statement of his own, Green said he wasn’t acting for attention, but to confront what he called dangerous, normalized racism from the president.
“I refuse to tolerate this level of hate that the president is in fact putting into policy. We must take a stand against this level of invidious discrimination,” Green said. “I wanted him to know and I wanted him to see it and hear it up close. But judging from the expression on his face, he got the message. He saw it. He got the message, and I hope that others will let him have a similar message so that he will discontinue this behavior.”
Green was also escorted out of last year’s address after speaking out over what he described as Trump’s alleged mandate on Medicare.
Michael Adams, a political science professor at Texas Southern University, says you can’t separate Green’s protest from the broader political moment.
“In regards to what happened with Al Green, you have to look at that through political context,” Adams said. “He’s currently in the middle of an election against Christian Menefee. I’m not saying how he behaved was negative, but you certainly can’t buy that kind of exposure during a campaign.”
Nehls, meanwhile, is facing his own wave of criticism online after video surfaced of him asking President Trump to sign his Trump‑themed tie on the House floor. In the clip, he can be heard saying, “Initial it. Just initial.”
Some users on X accused him of “begging” the president and called the moment “submissive,” with one person writing, “someone should study how submissive conservative men really are, it’s really odd.”
KPRC 2 also asked Nehls to respond to that criticism.
“I am so grateful President Trump took a moment to sign my tie last night following his energizing State of the Union Address. President Trump is the greatest President of my lifetime, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to help him advance his America First agenda in Congress,” Congressman Troy Nehls said.
Why “Black people aren’t apes” hits so hard: the historical context
Green’s sign wasn’t just a catchy slogan — it was a direct response to a centuries‑old racist trope:
HISTORICAL RACIST TROPE: WHY ‘APE’ COMPARISONS ARE SO HARMFUL:
There is long‑standing sensitivity around comparing Black people to monkeys or apes because that imagery has been used for centuries to justify racism. In the 18th–20th centuries, some scientists, politicians and media portrayed Black people as “less evolved” or closer to animals to defend slavery, segregation and unequal treatment.
Cartoons, ads and postcards often showed Black people as apes, helping normalize discrimination and violence. Today, major civil‑rights groups and many courts regard such comparisons as explicit racist harassment, not just an insult, which is why they continue to draw strong reactions.
For many Black Americans, being likened to an ape is not a random slur — it taps into generations of violence, exclusion and state‑sanctioned inequality justified by the claim that Black people are “animalistic” or “less than.”