Al Green saw an opportunity to express his disappointment with Donald Trump to the president’s face, and the Texas Democrat took it.
Attending the 2026 State of the Union address on Tuesday, Green held up a sign in front of Trump that read “Black people aren’t apes” as the president made his way to the House floor lectern. Green’s sign was swatted away by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.
The sign was in reference to a video that Trump shared on his personal social media platform, Truth Social. The clip, which sparked outrage and was quickly deleted, depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. Barack Obama said the post was one part of a larger Trump administration “clown show,” adding that Trump’s behavior wasn’t indicative of the beliefs of most Americans.
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“I think it’s important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” Obama said on “Pod Save America.” “[Americans] still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness, and there’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television… There doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office [of the president], right?”
The video drew condemnation from Republicans as well. Sen. Tim Scott, R- S.C., called it the “most racist thing” he had seen from a politician. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called the video “wrong and incredibly offensive” in a post to X. Even Vice President JD Vance called the clip “unhelpful.”
Here is Rep. Al Green holding up a sign that according to CNN’s Manu Raju said “Black people are not apes” before Steve Scalise pulled it down pic.twitter.com/chrxydRYIw
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2026
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