Rep. Al Green's Protest Sign Got Him Kicked out of the State of the Union

For the second straight year, Rep. Al Green got kicked out of Trump's State of the Union address. Last year, he was kicked out for heckling the president in the middle of his speech, and this year, it appears to have happened because he was holding up a protest sign.

Following the news that Green was kicked out of the State of the Union again, many wanted to better understand what the sign that got him kicked out actually said. Here's what we know.

Green appears to have been holding a sign that said "Black People Aren't Apes," and it seems like that was the reason he was escorted out of the speech. The sign appears to be a reference to a video Trump posted on Truth Social earlier this month in which Barack and Michele Obama were depicted as apes, one that caused controversy online because of its explicit racism.

Green was escorted off the floor of the House minutes into Trump's speech, and as he walked out of the room, he waved the sign at the Republican side of the aisle. Rep. Troy Nehls, who also serves in Texas, attempted to take the sign from him.

In speaking with reporters after he was kicked out, Al Green said that he had brought the sign to send a message to the president.

"Judging from the expression on his face, he got the message," Green said. "He saw it, he got the message. Now, there are people who believe that I should not take a stand such as this. There are others who have taken stands, and they, too, have been vilified. Dr. King went to jail for taking a stand. Rosa Parks went to jail for taking a stand. Sometimes you have to take a stand."

Green also told reporters that he believes there are other representatives who agree with him, but they didn't feel like they could act.

Green also said that there was a key difference between his protest last year and this one.

"The first time it was spontaneity," Green told NBC News. "This time it was with intentionality. I wanted to make sure that I got a message to him. That's why I took the seat where I was on the aisle, so that I could give it to him personally."

Green was not the only member of the House to protest Trump's address, but most other members decided to boycott as their form of protest. Trump has not apologized for sharing the video of the Obamas as apes, one that even some members of his own party said crossed a line. He did delete the video, but it's just the latest in a long line of examples of Trump being credibly accused of racism.