House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ordered the removal of Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) after the Democrat lawmaker disrupted President Donald Trump’s address to Tuesday night’s joint session of Congress.
Towards the start of his address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump celebrated the fact that the Republican Party “won the popular vote by big numbers” in the 2024 presidential election, prompting Democrat lawmakers to boo in protest of the 47th president. However, the boos of the Democrat lawmakers were quickly drowned out by chants of “USA” from Republican lawmakers in the House chamber.
As Trump continued his speech, he said, “Small business optimism saw its single largest one-month gain ever recorded- a 41-point jump.” The president’s speech was once again disrupted as Democrat lawmakers tried shouting over Trump.
Johnson then warned the protesting Democrat lawmakers, “Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further interruptions. That’s your warning.”
Despite Johnson’s warning, Democrat lawmakers continued to yell in protest against the president, leading the House speaker to issue another warning, saying, “Members are engaging in willful and continuing breach of decorum, and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant at arms to restore order to the joint session.”
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As Republicans applauded Johnson’s commitment to restore order, Green continued to stand in protest against Trump’s speech. While Johnson repeatedly asked the Democrat representative to take his seat, Green continued to stand and shouted that Trump had “no mandate.”
“Finding that members continue to engage in willful and concerted disruption of proper decorum, the chair now directs the sergeant at arms to restore order,” Johnson said. “Remove this gentleman from the chamber.”
Once order was restored in the House chamber, Johnson said, “Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House. Mr. President, you can continue.”
After he was removed from the House chamber, Green told reporters, “The president said he had a mandate, and I was making it clear to the president that he has no mandate to cut Medicaid.”
Asked if disrupting Trump’s speech was the best way to get his message across, Green said it was the “best way” to get his point across to “a person who uses his incivility against our civility.”
“I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me,” Green told reporters. “I didn’t say to anyone, ‘Don’t punish me.’ I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment. But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.”
