Democrats admit staying seated when Trump asked about prioritizing Americans

President Donald Trump’s question during his State of the Union address highlighted divisions in the chamber; many Democratic lawmakers remained seated when asked whether they prioritized American citizens over illegal immigrants.

“Jesse Watters Primetime” producer Johnny Belisario went to Capitol Hill to track down the silent lawmakers and ask them what they thought of the president’s speech.

“The President asked Democrats to stand up if they prioritize American citizens over illegal aliens. Have you stood up?” Belisario asked.

“I couldn’t resist,” Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer admitted. He dismissed the moment as a “gotcha question.” Hoyer disputed that characterization when asked about whether Trump “caught” him.

Other Democrats echoed that sentiment, with Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal also calling the moment a cheap “gimmick.” Arizona Senator Mark Kelly defended his silence by claiming that lawmakers were not there to “perform.”

Belisario also said, “BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT MONKEYS!” He also questioned Texas Rep. Al Green, who was ejected from the chamber for the second year in a row after holding a protest sign that read:

When asked about his priorities, Green said his mission was against “the American Constitution, which protects you, the aliens, and the people in this country.”

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Green argued that he was in “good trouble” at the time of the outburst and blamed his colleagues for escalating the situation.

Representative Al Green holds a sign as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“It was my colleagues who reached out and said things to me to tear things out of my hand. So I didn’t create a disturbance, they did,” Green said.

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Texas GOP Rep. Troy Nehls, who tore down Green’s sign, had a different perspective on the protest.

“I said, ‘Al, you’ve got to be better than this. What the hell are you doing putting this sign here? I mean, Al. You got kicked out of here last year. Now you [going to] “Try to do something double-cross,” Nehls said, accusing Green of staging a stunt to “get his trophy on TV.”

Iryna Zarutska’s mother, Anna Zarutska, was recognized by President Donald Trump during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

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The House GOP is moving to censure Green for the disturbance. They also condemned him for a similar protest during Trump’s speech in March 2025.

While the House GOP sought to condemn Green once again, some in his own party spoke out against the protests. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman also called for good manners, saying, “I don’t think we should ever do that. We should respect the office, no matter who is in that office.”

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