Footage captured ahead of Donald Trump's Congress appearance shows the moment a representative for the Democrats had a sign reading 'this is not normal' ripped out of her hands.
Trump has sparked mixed responses with the various claims and comments he made in his nearly two-hour speech in front of Congress on Tuesday (March 4), in which he spoke on everything from obtaining Greenland to the price of eggs.
The president was met with some calls of criticism from Democrats during his delivery, but it was Rep. Melanie Stansbury, who has represented New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District since 2021, who took a stand before he'd even begun.
Footage from the event shows Stansbury holding a handwritten sign in the direction of cameras as Trump walked down the aisle of the House chamber. While other lawmakers showed their approval by clapping for Trump, Stansbury took a very different stance as she'd written: "This is not normal."
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Images caught Stansbury's protest sign, but she didn't manage to hold it for long as one of her Republican counterparts, Rep. Lance Gooden, was soon seen leaning across the aisle behind Trump and ripping the sign from Stansbury's hands.
Gooden then threw the sign into the air, leaving it to fall just inches from the president's head.
The president didn't appear to acknowledge the disruption at the time, but Stansbury has since reiterated her disapproval of Trump as she took to Twitter to share a photo of herself holding her sign in Congress.
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Alongside the post, she added again: "This is not normal."
Gooden, meanwhile, has continued to staunchly defend Trump.
He reposted Stansbury's photo and hit back with a series of scenarios he claimed were linked to the Democratic party, writing: "It's not normal for men to play in women's sports. It's not normal for children to have gender surgery. It's not normal for tax dollars to fund trans mice. What today's Democrat Party stands for is not normal, Melanie."
Gooden also shared a video of himself removing the sign from Stansbury's hands, writing: "Putting the American people FIRST is normal. No one will disrespect President @realdonaldtrump in front of me."
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Stansbury's protest wasn't the only one to catch attention during Trump's appearance at Congress; another Democrat, Rep. Al Green, ended up being escorted out of the chamber after interrupting the president's speech and shouting that he didn't 'have a mandate'.
Following his appearance, Trump appeared to acknowledge that his speech had been divisive but attempted to spread the word that most people were on his side.
The POTUS took to Truth Social to share a CBS News poll which revealed that while 23 percent of people 'disapproved' with his speech, 76 percent 'approved'.
Topics: Donald Trump, Social Media, Politics
Emily Brown