The Gold Star father arrested for disrupting President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday night does not regret his outburst. Speaking to The Daily Wire, Steve Nikoui said that all he was trying to accomplish that night was for Biden to acknowledge the killing of his son and 12 other service members during a botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to Nikoui, he was not sure he wanted to attend the speech after he had been invited by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). “It was an awkward dynamic. I wanted to go, but I also didn’t want to go. And when I was there, seeing the theatrics, the circus … it just got to me,” he shared.

Nikoui revealed that what sparked his outburst was Biden’s claim during his speech that the United States “is safer today than when I took office.” Biden’s exaggerated claim made him think, “Do you remember that my kid was not safe?”

That’s why he stood up and shouted his son’s name to the president, reminding him of the death of 13 troops at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai International Airport when a terrorist set off a bomb.

“Do you remember Abbey Gate? U.S Marines?” Nikoui asked Biden on Thursday night.

After he exited the House Galleries at the order of Capitol police, he said he was placed in cuffs when he got outside the chamber. He was charged with “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding” during a protest, a misdemeanor charge that carries a fine of up to $500 and up to 90 days imprisonment.

Whatever the outcome of the charge against him is, Nikoui does not regret his actions as he believes he did not disrespect anyone or dishonor his late son, U.S. Marine Kareem Nikoui.

Despite his outburst, Nikoui said he has high regard for the office of the presidency. However, he was offended by Biden’s decision to go on and on about his late son, Beau, and climate change when he brought up Afghanistan during his 2020 State of the Union speech instead of honoring the 13 KIA service members who sacrificed their lives.

“I remember I watched for like 56 minutes. And then finally [Biden] brings up Afghanistan. But he never said my kid’s name, you know? I didn’t even need him to say he made a mistake or take blame. I just wanted him to say, ‘The United States will never forget the brave service of Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover…’ and then go on down the list of the other 12. Just say, ‘We will never forget.’ That’s all he had to do. But he didn’t do that. Instead, he beelined for, ‘My son Beau died of cancer, and that’s why I think the existential threat to our military is the burning of diesel fuel in burning pits. Because I think that’s how Beau got his cancer.’ I just started crying,” the Gold Star father recalled.

Nikoui hopes the Biden administration would be held accountable for the incident, as he said it happened because Biden decided to stray from a withdrawal plan put in place by former President Donald Trump.

“They were told to leave 2,500 troops there. 2,000 troops could have manned Bagram and then 500 extra to help. And that was in place in the agreement. But [Biden] took it to something like 136 troops. If they would have followed Trump’s agreement, my son would be alive. That’s what America doesn’t know. That [Biden] actually didn’t follow the agreement,” he revealed.

Nikoui’s arrest has been criticized by people across both partisan lines. Mast, who invited him to the event, took to X to say, “The Sergeant at Arms is holding my State of the Union guest for yelling at @POTUS in protest because his son was killed in action at the Abbey Gate due to Biden’s incompetence. So much for the right to petition our government for the redress of grievances.”

Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips (MN) also condemned the arrest on X, writing, “As a Gold Star Son myself, I can only imagine the pain he has felt since losing his son in Afghanistan. No one should interrupt a State of the Union Address, but if Marjorie Taylor Greene wasn’t arrested for her outbursts, why should he [be]?”