Democratic Rep. Al Green removed after disrupting Trump’s speech
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the House chamber Tuesday night after he disrupted President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress.
Green, who has long pushed to impeach Trump dating to his previous term in office, stood and shook his cane toward the president in the opening minutes of his speech.
Other lawmakers cheered and booed Green, causing further chaos on the House floor as Trump paused. The uproar prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to read aloud from House rules.
“Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House and to cease any further disruptions,” Johnson said, an admonishment aimed at Green.
After Green refused to sit and allow Trump to continue, Johnson called for the House sergeant at arms to remove him from the chamber.
“Nah nah nah nah, goodbye,” Republicans chanted as Green was escorted from the room.
Outside the chamber, Green told NBC News that as “a person of conscience,” he believes Trump “has done things that I think we cannot allow to continue.”
“This whole budget that he has is one that is going to cause Medicaid to be cut, and when he said he had a mandate, it triggered something. It really did. Because he doesn’t have a mandate, and he doesn’t have a mandate to cut health care from poor people,” Green said.
The chamber was filled with other signs of protest and pushback.
Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus wore pink to protest Trump’s policies on women and families. Other Democrats wore blue and yellow ties in support of Ukraine, days after Trump and Vice President JD Vance tangled with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an unexpectedly hostile Oval Office meeting.
Also visible on some Democratic members: stickers accusing Elon Musk of “stealing Social Security.” Musk, a billionaire whose government efficiency initiative is scrutinizing Social Security finances, has called the program a “Ponzi scheme.”
Some Democrats also held black paddles that read “SAVE MEDICAID,” “PROTECT VETERANS” and “MUSK STEALS.” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., held a white board that read “THAT’S A LIE.”
A group of House Democrats also took off their jackets and revealed black shirts with writing on the back. Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Andrea Salinas of Oregon had shirts reading “Resist,” and Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida had one saying, “No more kings.”
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., posted on X that she walked out of the speech because she found the president’s remarks “shameful.”
“There’s only so much bulls— a person can tolerate,” she wrote.
House Democratic leaders had urged members during a closed-door party meeting earlier Tuesday to show proper decorum ahead of Trump’s joint address, according to three House Democrats who attended the meeting.
Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., specifically asked members not to use “props” to protest the speech, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., encouraged members to stay on message and keep the spotlight focused on the people affected by Trump’s policies — not make the story about themselves.
Henry J. Gomez is a senior national political reporter for NBC News
Frank Thorp V is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News, managing coverage of the Senate.
Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
NBC Politics
Recommended
DONALD TRUMP
Fact-checking Trump’s speech to Congress
CONGRESS
Democrats’ silent protests of Trump speech overshadowed by one outburst
Oregon Democrats walk out as Trump says ‘America is back’ in joint address
President Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed Congress in his first primetime speech of his second term, saying “America is back” while touting his administration’s efforts, even as Democrats became so incensed that some walked out the door.
Trump sought to portray a nation in the midst of a dramatic comeback, saying illegal immigration is dropping as his administration fights back against a “woke” agenda from Democrats.
“The American dream is surging bigger and better than ever before,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, multiple members of Oregon’s congressional delegation were among those who walked out as the party pushed back against the president, his cabinet and Elon Musk, the billionaire leader of the Trump administration’s cost-cutting effort called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Like many states across the country, Oregon has seen packed town halls and large protests in the wake of Trump’s first month in office. The upheaval has come in response to a variety of Trump’s policies, from immigration to foreign policy to shrinking the federal workforce.
Here are some highlights from Trump’s joint address.
On Tuesday, Trump imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. The countries collectively import billions of dollars of goods to Oregon, including furniture from China and fertilizer from Canada Many economists have warned that the nation is nearing a trade war that could rock the state’s economy.
In his speech, Trump said the aggressive use of tariffs will enrich America and curb illegal border crossings. But on Tuesday, stocks tumbled on Wall Street and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the tariffs “very dumb” while promising a 25% retaliatory tariff.
Trump promised during his speech that he will push back, saying: “Whatever they tax us, we will tax them.”
During Trump’s address, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, said on the social media platform X: “Candidate Trump promised to lower prices, but President Trump’s reckless blanket tariffs will RAISE prices even higher for families in Oregon and across the country. This is Trumpflation at work!”
Some Democrats turned their backs on the president during his speech, held up signs criticizing the administration and eventually walked out of the chamber.
Among them were U.S. Reps. Andrea Salinas and Maxine Dexter, both from Oregon. Salinas tweeted Tuesday night that she decided to leave “rather than listen to more false promises from a wannabe dictator.”
Oregon House Democratic members Andrea Salinas and Maxine Dexter walk out as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP
“Tonight, President Trump spewed more lies and continued to ignore the reality that his policies are hurting working families – not helping them,” said Salinas, who was just elected to her second term in November.
Oregon Democrats have voiced concerns about a variety of ways the administration’s policies are impacting the state.
So far, wildfire research has been paused, and funds for local transportation and housing projects are in limbo. Meanwhile, mass firings have hit regional employers such as the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bonneville Power Administration.
U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, a Happy Valley Democrat, stayed in the Capitol chamber on Tuesday, said spokesman Koray Rosati.
He said Bynum “stayed to hold Trump accountable to people like her guest Liz Crandall,” a former Forest Service employee from Bend. Crandall was one of at least 16 Deschutes National Forest staffers fired in recent weeks amid cost cutting efforts by DOGE.
“I think the message is getting through that people are pretty irritated and frustrated by these terminations and these losses in their community,” Bynum said in a call with reporters earlier Tuesday.
Bynum added: “We in Oregon absolutely need every wildfire fighting resource that we can possibly get. This is not small peanuts for us. This is life or death.”
Bynum’s longtime political opponent had a front row seat on Tuesday.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican who lost her congressional reelection bid to Bynum in November, was sitting in the front row during Trump’s address, beside other members of the president’s cabinet.
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, nominated for labor secretary, was sitting in the front row (far left) during Trump’s address, beside other members of the president’s cabinet.
Mandel Ngan / AP
Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer for the job of labor secretary in November. A Senate committee voted last week to advance her to a full Senate vote, but she has not yet been confirmed.
Chavez-DeRemer has portrayed herself as a political moderate, noting that she has support from both large business groups and unions. While her support of union-friendly policies drew pushback from some Republicans, three Democrats on the committee who weighed her nomination approved her.
On Tuesday, Chavez-DeRemer — who endorsed Trump in the November election — sat next to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who ran for president and was recently confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Rather than attend Trump’s joint address to Congress, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden held a virtual town hall. More than 4,000 people attended the virtual meeting, which Wyden co-hosted with People’s Town Hall, a community organization. He answered several questions that were submitted from thousands of constituents across Oregon.
Wyden, the state’s senior senator, told the virtual audience Tuesday that he decided to host the town hall as an alternative to Trump’s address.
“It just seems to be that our version of alternative programming is going to give Oregonians the chance to lay out the true state of the union,” Wyden said at the town hall. “We’re a union that’s worried about the cost of groceries, gas and electric bills and Donald Trump and Elon Musk don’t seem to know much about those issues.”
Wyden answered questions from residents concerned about a number of issues including potentially losing Medicaid, which many in Oregon receive through the Oregon Health Plan, as Musk and DOGE continue to search for places to slash federal spending.
Wyden said he would continue to push back against Trump and DOGE on any potential cuts to Medicaid.
From courthouses to warehouses, the federal government is looking to unload 10 buildings from Portland to Baker City.
President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress will include a number of invited guests.
Tags: Politics
OPB’s essential reporting and inspiring programs are made possible by the power of member support.
STREAMING NOW
On Point
U.S. Reps. Maxine Dexter and Andrea Salinas were among the Oregon Democrats who walked out during President Donald Trump’s speech.
Trump touts tariffs
Oregon Democrats walk out
Lori Chavez-DeRemer appears in front row
Wyden skips address
Related Stories
Oregon federal buildings going up for sale, according to government list
Oregon’s Congressional delegation to bring fired federal workers, farmers to Trump speech
POLITICS
📨 Daily news in your inbox
Starting with Rep. Al Green, Democrats protest against Trump’s speech to Congress
By
Elena Moore
,
Deirdre Walsh
Rep. Al Greene, D-Texas, disrupts President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on March 4.
NPR is bringing you the latest from President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress. For more updates, get our NPR Politics newsletter or listen to The NPR Politics Podcast.
Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green was removed from the House chamber after heckling President Trump during his first address to a joint session of Congress of his second term.
Though lawmakers in the opposition party have been vocal from their seats during past presidential addresses, Green’s removal from the chamber marked a stark break from tradition.
Green stood up and began yelling at Trump after the president referenced his 2024 election win and claimed he had been given a mandate from the American people. Green first received a warning from House Speaker Mike Johnson and when he did not stop was escorted out by the Sergeant at Arms.
The Texas Democrat repeatedly shouted that the president did not have a mandate.
“It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up [to Trump],” Green said to reporters outside the chamber.
Other lawmakers led quieter protests. A group of Democratic women wearing T-shirts reading “Resist” walked out of the president’s speech, as did other Democrats as the speech went on. Others waved black signs saying “False.”
Rep. Maxwell Frost was one of several members who left the chamber during Trump’s address. He wore a shirt that read, “No kings live here.”
“In the spirit of student protestors from the Civil Rights Movement, I’m proud to have protested and walked out with many of my colleagues,” Frost said in a post on social media. “This is NOT a normal time.”
Democrats are the minority party in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Many lawmakers have appeared at demonstrations in response to the Trump administration’s drastic changes to the federal government.
Sponsor Message
Become an NPR sponsor
