By Suheir Sheikh and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. Representative Al Green said he confronted President Donald Trump at his State of the Union speech over a “deplorable” video on the Republican’s social media account earlier this month that contained a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama as apes.
As Trump entered the House chamber, Green, of Texas, unfurled a white sign that read: “Black people aren’t apes.” The White House eventually took down the video and Trump said a staffer had posted it.
“I wanted him to know that portraying President Obama and First Lady Obama as members of the primate family is not only unacceptable, it is something that is deplorable and something we will not tolerate,” Green said in an interview with Reuters in the Capitol after being ejected from Trump’s speech.
Green, who first came to the House in 2005, said he positioned himself inside the House chamber at a seat on the aisle that Trump would have to walk up on his way to the podium.
It was the second year in a row Green was ejected from Trump’s speech to Congress, after having yelled at him during last year’s address.
“Judging from the look on his face that he turned away quickly, he was at a moment of vulnerability because he’s not confronted by people who are willing to speak truth to him,” Green said.
Asked whether he could face additional punishment from the Republican-controlled House, Green responded that he did not know but “The consequences are subservient to what happened.”
(Reporting by Suheir Sheikh, Richard Cowan and Bo Erickson; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
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