Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas repeatedly interrupted President Trump early on during his speech to the joint session of Congress, waving around his cane and shouting at the commander in chief.
Initially, Trump tried to speak over him, but Green, 77, persisted, shouting, “You don’t have a mandate” — an apparent reference to the budget resolution that narrowly passed the House last week.
Green, who represents a district in the Houston area, also pointed his finger at Trump. On a few occasions, he briefly quieted down to let Trump speak so that he could interject again.
Republicans seated on the other side of the chamber quickly hit back with chants of “USA,” seeking to drown him out.
A House chamber staffer went over to Green to quiet him down, but the Texas rep persisted.
“Remove this gentleman from the chamber!” one Republican shot back, while other GOPers were heard telling Green “sit your a– down.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) then intervened and warned Green, to no avail.
“I now direct the Sergeant at Arms to restore order! Remove this gentleman from the Chamber!” Johnson declared.
Finally, Green was escorted out by the House sergeant-at-arms.
Outside the House chamber, Green slammed Trump and accused the president of fomenting “incivility against our civility.”
“It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up” to Trump, Green told the White House press pool after his ouster.
Presidential speeches before a joint session of Congress have previously faced disruptions from members.
Three years ago, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) heckled former President Joe Biden during his address to Congress.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) had reportedly asked his members not to make too much of a scene during the president’s address.
Multiple Democratic lawmakers skipped the speech and several members waved around signs that said “Save Medicaid” in protest of the president.
Many Democratic female lawmakers also wore pink in protest of the president.
During a portion of Trump’s speech when he rattled through some of the Department of Government Efficiency’s purported savings, several Democrats shouted that he was a “liar.”
At one point, Trump took a dig at Democrats for their animosity toward him.
“I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, nothing I can do,” Trump chided at one point.
“I could find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations or announce the answers to the greatest economy in history or the stoppage of crime to the lowest levels ever recorded,” Trump went on.
“And these people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.