What else stood out Not a single word on Epstein - Democrat Green taken away (again)
Donald Trump spoke about many topics in his State of the Union address. But he remained silent on the Epstein files - despite loud protests in front of Congress and clear criticism from the ranks of the Democrats.
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- Trump's State of the Union address was met with protests from Democrats in and outside the Capitol.
- Several lawmakers brought survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein as guests and demanded the full release of the investigation files.
- Trump did not mention the Epstein case in his speech.
During the State of the Union address, Democratic Congressman Al Green made a visible statement. As President Donald Trump walked past him, Green held up a sign reading "Black people are not monkeys".
He stood still, without heckling. Security forces then led him out of the hall. Trump did not mention the incident in his speech. Green's protest referred to a video published shortly beforehand in which Trump showed a racist caricature.
Al Green may have accepted being removed from the room. He had already been taken away last year during one of Trump's speeches due to vociferous protests.
More than 40 Democratic MPs and senators stayed away from the speech. They joined demonstrations in front of the Capitol. Others chose a different form of protest: they specifically invited guests to make criticism visible.
The Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, brought along a survivor of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, according to several media outlets. Other Democratic members of Congress also invited those affected. Schumer said before Trump's appearance in the Capitol: "Trump says he's going to give a long speech tonight, but there's one thing he doesn't want to talk about: the Epstein files."
Around a dozen women accusing Epstein of sexual abuse sat in the gallery. They wanted to draw attention to Trump's previous contacts with Epstein and the government's handling of the investigation files.
Trump spoke about the economy, security and migration - but he did not mention the Epstein case. Yet his name appears thousands of times in the documents published by the Department of Justice. It has not yet been possible to prove any personal misconduct on his part.
The Ministry of Justice published the files in several stages, most recently in large quantities at the end of January. A law passed in November 2025 obliged the authorities to release all unclassified documents. The release was delayed and many parts remained redacted. The ministry referred to the protection of the victims.
Before the speech, several of those affected called for independent investigations into all influential people named in the files. They demanded the complete publication of the documents. Trump did not respond to this either.