Trump’s vicious attack on civil rights legend and current U.S. Representative John Lewis has completely backfired. Far from scaring Democrats into attending his inauguration to kneel before him, the smears on one of the most respected Democrats in Congress has led to widespread backlash against Trump himself.
Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017
mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017
Now, even more Democrats than ever have announced that they will not be attending Trump’s inauguration. They simply cannot stand by as a man who got elected by lies and racial hatred gets sworn in to the highest office in the country.
As of this writing, at least 11 Democratic lawmakers have taken a pledge to boycott the inauguration. The first was Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who said he “cannot go to [the] inauguration of a man who’s going to appoint people to the Supreme Court and turn back the clock on women and turn back the clock on immigrants.”
John Lewis said he would also not be attending because given Trump’s disturbing ties to Russia, and the Russian government’s explicit meddling in the election to help elect him, he did not view Trump as a “legitimate president.”
And before Republicans accuse Democrats of just being sore losers, it should be noted that many of these Democrats were willing to attend the inauguration, but having watched Trump’s unhinged behavior in the past few weeks, cannot in good conscience commit to attending anymore. Rep. Katherine Clark said she “had hoped the President-elect would use the transition period and his appointments to change course and fulfill his promise to be a President for all Americans.” Instead Trump has sought to turn Americans on Americans. And so, she concluded that she cannot “contribute to the normalization” of Trump.
Following Trump’s meltdown on Twitter, Rep. Mark Takano said he stood with Rep. Lewis. He too will be boycotting the inauguration.
"All talk, no action."
I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration. pic.twitter.com/z8Q0wA9OPK
— Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) January 14, 2017
UPDATE: A 12th member of Congress has announced he too will be boycotting.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY) tweeted "I stand with @repjohnlewis" today, and will not attend Trump's inauguration, his spokesman tells @Gothamist. pic.twitter.com/jCAN2ipLD5
— Wilfred Chan (@wilfredchan) January 14, 2017
Here’s the full list (so far) of those who say they will not attend the inauguration of a man who would smear civil rights leaders, war heroes, the disabled, immigrants, women, and journalists.
- Rep. Luis Gutierrez (IL)
- Rep. Katherine Clark (MA)
- Rep. Jared Huffman (CA)
- Rep. Barbara Lee (CA)
- Rep. Rual Grijalva (AZ)
- Rep. John Lewis (GA)
- Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA)
- Rep. Lacy Clay (MO)
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR)
- Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR)
- Rep. Mark Takano (CA)
- Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY)
- Rep. Ted Lieu (CA)
As Trump’s meltdown continues, we will update the list above to honor those who bravely stand against Trump during one of America’s darkest hours.
Featured image via Twitter
