During Tuesday’s address to Congress Democrat Al Green was the only representative to stage a strong protest to Trump’s speech. He stood and pointed his cane at the president to mixed cheers and boos from the other lawmakers in the crowd. It’s not clear from the reports but I believe he told Trump that he does not have a mandate to cut Medicaid and Social Security. He refused to sit down when asked by the Speaker and was escorted out of the room by the Sargent at Arms. One other Democrat walked out of the room a little later.
The protests from other
Democrat lawmakers was tepid. About 12 walked out early; some didn't attend at all. Some of those who did attend waved small signs shaped like a lollipop
(one commentator called them ping pong paddles) that read “Save Medicaid”, “Protect
Veterans” and “Musk Steals”.
On Thursday the House of Representatives passed a resolution of censure with 10 Democrats voting with the Republicans. A censure is the highest form of reprimand, just short of expulsion. While Speaker Mike Johnson was reading the censure to Green who standing at the front, the Democratic members sang the gospel song “We Shall Overcome”.
This all shows two
things. First that the Democrats are not unified in their response to Trump and
the Republicans. A few are determined to aggressively resist while the rest
still want to “show proper decorum”.
Secondly that there is a
double standard in how Democrats and Republicans are treated.
Green’s response to the
call for decorum, both from his party leaders and from Speaker Johnson, was “The decorum that you expect from me, you
have to expect from the president… There comes a time when you cannot allow the
president’s incivility to take advantage of our civility. It is time for us to
take that stand”.
Republicans repeatedly heckled
and interrupted President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address in
February 2023. Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of the worst offenders,
ironically calling out “Liar!” when Biden said that the Republicans wanted to
cut Social Security and Medicaid (which of course is now in the current
proposed budget). No one was escorted out and there were no subsequent censures
in the House.
Green, who is a 77 year
old Black man who previously served as a justice of the peace in Texas, also
pointed out that it was because of the civil rights movement – which involved
considerable civil disruption – that he was even allowed to represent the State
of Texas in the House.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/us/politics/democrats-trump-al-green-protests-congress.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/al-green-censure-trump-speech.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/08/politics/republicans-interrupt-biden-state-of-the-union/index.html
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