Mike Johnson Says He ‘Could Have Ejected’ Democrats From Chamber Over ‘Shameful Display’ During Trump’s SOTU
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Newsmax on Tuesday that he “could have ejected” several Democrats during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, but ultimately decided not to so their “shameful display” could be witnessed by “the American people.”
Reacting to the refusal of Democratic members to stand during moments of Trump’s speech, Johnson said:
It was a very shameful display. There was a couple of times, there’s a couple of House members that I probably could have ejected from the chamber because of their behavior, but the president handled it so well, and I decided not to do that because, you know, I thought it would be better for the American people to see that, to see the shame that they were bringing upon themselves, and they just continued to do it. They stood at the wrong times and they refused to stand when they should have. I mean, they stood and applauded themselves for voting against the working families tax cuts. So they voted to impose the largest tax increase in history on the American people and they clapped for themselves. I mean, that video is going to be very valuable to us in the future, and on the contrary, they refused to stand when the president said answer this simple question – the first job of the government in the country is to defend Americans and not illegal aliens. They sat on their hands for that.
He concluded, “So look, you know, their actions and their words speak loudly to the American people and their record is as shameful as their antics tonight. We, on the other hand, have a record of success. The president touted so much of that tonight.”
Trump tore into Democrats on Tuesday evening after they refused to stand during his State of the Union speech.
“You should be ashamed of yourself! Not standing up, you should be ashamed of yourself,” Trump said after Democrats in the chamber remained seated upon being asked to “stand up and show your support” for the idea that “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
Democrats could also be seen laughing at Trump’s claim to have “ended eight wars,” while Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) repeatedly heckled the president, shouting, “You’re killing Americans!”
Early in Trump’s speech, Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was escorted out of the chamber after he held up a sign that read, “Black People Aren’t Apes” in protest over a Trump Truth Social post, which showed former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Watch above via Newsmax.
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