By Trendsetter Tribune 
WASHINGTON — A night of record-shattering length and historic tension concluded with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) revealing he came “this close” to ejecting Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) from the House chamber. The confrontation occurred during President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, which clocked in at one hour and 48 minutes—the longest in U.S. history.
While most Democrats adhered to a strategy of “silent defiance,” the chamber’s fragile decorum shattered during the President’s remarks on immigration and the ongoing partial government shutdown.
The “Verbal Protests” in the Chamber
The friction escalated when the President accused Democrats of “protecting illegal aliens” over American citizens and told the opposition they “should be ashamed” for not standing during a section of the speech focused on law enforcement.
- The Outburst: Representative Omar rose and shouted back, “You should be ashamed!” and repeatedly yelled, “You have killed Americans!”
- The “Videos” Remark: Representative Tlaib joined in, shouting, “They saw the videos, Mr. President!”—an apparent reference to recent fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers in Minnesota.
- The Silent Exit: Both Omar and Tlaib, who were wearing white to honor suffragists and pins reading “Release the Epstein files,” were seen walking out of the chamber together before the speech concluded.
Speaker Johnson’s “This Close” Warning
Speaking to Fox News following the address, Speaker Johnson characterized the outbursts as “shameful” and “detestable.”
“I came this close to stopping them. We could have probably ejected them from the floor. I thought, let their actions speak for themselves… If they’d gone a step further, I probably would have ejected them.” — Speaker Mike Johnson, Feb 25, 2026
Johnson argued that the “shame” the congresswomen brought upon their party served as a “nice contrast” to the unified Republican side of the aisle.
Schumer and Jeffries Defend “Dissent”
Top Democrats were quick to push back against Johnson’s threats of ejection, framing the protests as a legitimate response to “xenophobic” rhetoric.
- Chuck Schumer (D-NY): The Senate Majority Leader defended the caucus, stating that Democrats were right not to stand for a president who is “not protecting Americans.”
- Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): While the House Minority Leader had privately urged a strategy of “silent defiance,” he defended his members’ right to react to a speech he called a “national nightmare.”
- The Outside Protest: Jeffries pointed out that more than two dozen Democrats chose to attend the “People’s State of the Union” rally on the National Mall rather than normalize the President’s “shredding of the Constitution.”
The Al Green Ejection
While Omar and Tlaib remained in the chamber through the peak of the shouting, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was not as fortunate. For the second year in a row, Green was escorted out by the Sergeant at Arms almost immediately.
- The Sign: Green held up a sign reading “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!” * The Context: The sign referred to a racist meme recently shared (and later deleted) by the President on social media depicting the Obamas as primates.
- The Reaction: As Green was led away, the Republican side of the chamber broke into chants of “USA! USA!”
Key Takeaways from the SOTU 2026
- Historic Length: At 1 hour and 48 minutes, Trump broke Bill Clinton’s previous record for the longest recorded SOTU.
- Judicial Attacks: The President criticized the Supreme Court justices sitting in the front row, specifically calling out the six who ruled against his recent tariff implementations.
- Domestic Crisis: The speech took place against the backdrop of a partial government shutdown and a burgeoning “border-style” security crisis in the interior of the U.S.