Democrat Rep. Al Green held up a sign reading “black people aren’t apes” as Trump gave his State of the Union speech
Donald Trump faced a powerful protest as he delivered his State of the Union address this evening, with a placard declaring “black people aren’t apes” confronting him.
Democratic Representative Al Green brandished the sign as Donald Trump entered the House of Representatives chamber for the yearly speech to a joint congressional session tonight. He was subsequently removed from the chamber during proceedings, reports the Mirror..
Rep. Green was ejected from Trump’s joint address to Congress the previous year after shouting at the President in opposition to Medicaid reductions.
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This year’s demonstration relates to footage Trump shared on his Truth Social platform earlier this month, which portrayed Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. Trump maintained he hadn’t viewed the entire video before directing an assistant to publish it on his account.
Several Democratic congresswomen turned up to the address dressed in ‘suffragist’ white to demonstrate solidarity with women’s rights.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, who leads Democratic Women’s Caucus, told CBS News: “This year, there are specific attacks on women’s ability to vote. The Democratic Women’s Caucus is wearing white both to honor that fight that women have always had and to signal we are still in the fight.”
Certain members of Congress are boycotting this evening’s address, following guidance from Democratic leadership encouraging them to absent themselves rather than create disruption through attention-seeking protests.
Trump enters the State of the Union facing the most damaging approval figures of any president in recent memory. A Washington Post/ABC News survey this week revealed 60% of Americans expressed dissatisfaction with Trump’s performance – with 47% registering strong disapproval.
A mere 39% voiced approval of his work, marking the weakest rating for any President approaching a second-year State of the Union in contemporary times.
Trump’s disapproval last touched 60% in the immediate aftermath of the January 6th Insurrection during the closing days of his initial presidency.
Scarcely 29% of Americans believe the nation is progressing positively, the latest AP-NORC survey indicates. The majority, 69%, reckon matters are deteriorating.
This gloom exceeds levels recorded when Trump assumed office last year. Last March, roughly 6 in 10 Americans felt the country was moving in the wrong direction.
That’s partly down to Republicans’ outlook becoming considerably bleaker last autumn, following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Whilst Republicans have regained some optimism in recent months, only around six in 10 now believe the country is on the right track, compared with approximately seven in 10 last March.