Mike Johnson says he weighed ejecting Democrats at Trump’s SOTU but let ‘shameful display’ stand

WASHINGTON, DC: House Speaker Mike Johnson said he briefly considered ejecting several Democratic lawmakers during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address but ultimately decided against it so that the public could witness what he called a “shameful display.”

Speaking to Newsmax on Tuesday night, February 24, Johnson reacted to Democrats’ refusal to stand during key moments of the president’s speech, calling their actions a breach of the chamber's decorum.

“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," he said. 

"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,” he added.

Speaker criticizes Democrats’ action during Trump’s speech 

Johnson said Democrats “stood at the wrong times and refused to stand when they should have,” singling out moments when members applauded themselves for opposing tax cuts while remaining seated during lines on border security.

“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,” he said.

Johnson said the video will remain and might be valuable for the future.

“I mean, that video is going to be very valuable to us in the future… they refused to stand when the president said to 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 said.

He concluded that Democrats’ behavior would be judged by voters.

“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,” Johnson explained.

Trump rebukes Democrats from the podium

Trump himself directly criticized Democrats during the address, admonishing those who stayed seated when he asked lawmakers 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.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself! Not standing up, you should be ashamed of yourself,” the president said.

Democrats were also seen laughing during Trump’s claim that he had “ended eight wars,” while Rep Ilhan Omar repeatedly heckled the president, shouting, “You’re killing Americans!”

Earlier in the speech, Rep Al Green was escorted from the chamber after holding up a sign reading, “Black People Aren’t Apes.”

The protest was aimed at a Trump Truth Social post that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.