By Olivia Beavers
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) gave an early and direct warning to Democrats: Do not protest during President Trump's State of the Union address. His instructions were immediately ignored, as soon as President Trump walked through onto the House floor.
As Trump made his way to the podium, Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas held up a sign that said: "Black people aren't apes." That was an apparent reference to a video clip Trump posted on social-media that portrayed former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as apes. Various Republicans on the floor sought to push the sign away or block it from view, before Green was escorted out.
While Green's was a silent protest, other Democrats were louder in their complaints. Progressive Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan were perhaps the most outspoken, ramping up their heckling when Trump touched on the administration's mass deportation agenda.
When Trump pointed to allegations of fraud by Somali businesses in Minnesota, Omar shouted "liar."
The president blamed Democrats for the past government shutdown as well as the current partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have declined to vote to fund DHS after immigration authorities shot Alex Pretti, a protester in Minneapolis, earlier this year. "You have killed Americans," Omar also shouted.
At one point, Tlaib yelled: "How's those Epstein files?" And Trump remarked: "These people are crazy."
When Trump touted the idea of ending insider stock trading among members of Congress, California Rep. Mark Takano, a Democrat, shouted to the president: "What about you?" Takano repeated the remark again after Trump singled out former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on her stock trading. She has long faced scrutiny for her stock trades. Pelosi didn't react to the attack, keeping a straight face amid the remarks.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 24, 2026 23:05 ET (04:05 GMT)
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