During an interview with NBC, civil rights icon John Lewis said that he does not think that President-elect Donald Trump is a “legitimate president,” citing outside influence persuading the election cycle to give Trump a leg up. This is the first time that Lewis will not be attending an inauguration since his election to Congress.
Trump then used his favorite social media platform, Twitter, to then dismiss Lewis, saying that he should stop complaining about the election and partner up with him to fight against crimes in America’s inner cities. That statement fell flat, galvanizing other politicians and lawmakers to boycott Trump’s inauguration.
California Democrat, Barbara Lee
Instead of attending the inauguration, Lee will be preparing “for resistance.” She mentioned that Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most “extreme fringes of the Republican Party.”
Illinois Democrat, Luis Gutiérrez
Gutiérrez was not interested in attending Trump’s inauguration from as early as December. He’s planning to attend the Women’s March on January 21. Gutiérrez cannot attend the inauguration with a clear conscious knowing that Trump has said disparaging things about women, Latinos, Blacks, and Muslims.
New York Democrat, José Serrano
Representing Bronx, New York, Serrano will not be attending Trump’s inauguration due to him having “no regard” for his constituents.
Arizona Democrat, Raul Grijalva
Grijalva will not be attending the inauguration as an act of defiance, due to Trump and his incoming administration showcasing disrespect to “millions and millions of Americans.”
California Democrat, Jared Huffman
Instead of taking part of the intended celebrations, Huffman has said that he will be meeting with his constituents to make a “positive difference” in their community. On his Facebook, Huffman announced that he would partake in helping local families and serving the naturalization process for new citizens, saying that it will be an “action-packed couple of days” following the inauguration.
New York Democrat, Nydia Velazquez
In a Tweet, Velasquez declared that she would not attend the inauguration, but instead will also attend the Women’s March with her Democratic colleague, Gutiérrez.
Massachusetts Democrat, Katherine Clark
Even though she supports the peaceful transition of power, she does not feel the need to attend the “pageantry associated with and for this president.”
New York Democrat, Adriano Espaillat
Known as the first formally undocumented immigrants to be officially elected to Congress, Espaillat wrote on his Facebook that he would not be attending the inauguration because of Trump’s hate-filled rhetoric that has plagued this election cycle.
Trumps incoming administration is alarming – it is packed with people who have close associations with white supremacist groups, with an even pay-for-play scheme that has allowed executives and CEOs a chance to be a governing force in the public arena.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUNKs6iVIFA
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