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WHIP LIST: Democrats boycotting Trump's inauguration
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/donald-trump-inauguration-boycott-democrats-whip-listWHIP LIST: Democrats boycotting Trump's inauguration
A growing number of Democrats are saying they won’t watch President-elect Donald Trump take the oath of office next week.
The majority of Democrats plan to attend the inauguration and uphold the tradition of watching the peaceful transfer of power, regardless of party. But after an exceptionally divisive election, some are breaking with the norm.
As Jan. 20 draws near, 22 Democrats have announced they’ll boycott the inauguration.
Here's a running list of who's skipping the event.
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (Ill.)
Gutiérrez was the first lawmaker to say he'd boycott Trump's inauguration. Instead, he plans to attend the anti-Trump Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 21.
"I 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 and the safety and freedom that we fought for them," he said on CNN's "New Day" in December.
Rep. John Conyers (Mich.)
Conyers, the longest-serving member of the House, won't be attending the inauguration, a spokeswoman confirmed Jan. 14. Conyers is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and has served in the House since 1965.
Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.)
Clark said she felt her presence at Trump's inauguration would serve as part of the "normalization" of Trump's actions.
“I 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; however, this has not been the case," Clark said in a statement on Jan. 5. "After discussions with hundreds of my constituents, I do not feel that I can contribute to the normalization of the President-elect’s divisive rhetoric by participating in the Inauguration."
Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.)
In a Facebook post on Jan. 7, Huffman said he would "ordinarily" attend a presidential inauguration, regardless of which party was assuming power in the White House.
"However, there is nothing ordinary about this inauguration or the man that will be sworn-in as our next President. I do accept the election results and support the peaceful transfer of power, but it is abundantly clear to me that with Donald Trump as our President, the United States is entering a dark and very dangerous political chapter," Huffman said.
"I will do everything I can to limit the damage and the duration of this chapter, and I believe we can get through it," he added. "But I will not sit passively and politely applaud as it begins."
Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.)
Lee said she was disappointed Trump didn't try to unify the country after running one of the most divisive campaigns in American history.
"Donald Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party," Lee said in a statement on Jan. 12. "On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance."
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.)
Grijalva announced on the House floor Jan. 13 that he’d be back in his Tucson-area district meeting with constituents and activists instead of attending Trump's inauguration. The Arizona Democrat is a co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
"My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy. But as an individual act, yes, of defiance, at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration and by the actions we are taking in this Congress," Grijalva said.
Rep. John Lewis (Ga.)
Lewis's boycott is perhaps the most significant. The civil rights icon is skipping a presidential inauguration for the first time since he began serving in the House 30 years ago.
He told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he doesn't think Trump is a "legitimate president" given Russia's attempts to help elect the real estate mogul.
“You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right," Lewis said.
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.)
DeSaulnier announced his boycott on Twitter on Jan. 13.
“It is with a heavy heart and deep personal conviction that I have decided not to attend the #TrumpInauguration on January 20, 2017,” he wrote, adding a video message where he said Trump will be in violation of the Constitution due to conflicts of interest.
Rep. Lacy Clay (Mo.)
Clay’s spokesman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he will skip the inauguration and be “back home in St. Louis speaking to school kids.”
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.)
Blumenauer told Oregon Public Broadcasting he would miss an inauguration for the first time since his election.
“Here is a person who ran a campaign that is the antithesis of everything I’ve worked for in public service,” he said, adding that attending is “not a productive use of my time.”
Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.)
Schrader also told Oregon Public Broadcasting he wouldn’t attend Trump’s inauguration.
“I’m just not a big Trump fan. I’ve met the guy and never been impressed with him,” Schrader said. “I’ll do my best to work with him when I think he’s doing the right thing for the country. But he hasn’t proved himself to me at all yet, so I respectfully decline to freeze my ass out there in the cold for this particular ceremony.” Unlike most of the Democrats on this list, Schrader is a centrist.
Rep. José E. Serrano (N.Y.)
The Bronx congressman tweeted Jan. 12 that he "cannot celebrate the inauguration of a man who has no regard for my constituents."
Rep. Nydia Velázquez (N.Y.)
Velázquez will not attend the inauguration but will attend the Women's March in Washington the following day, a spokesman told The Hill.
Rep. Mark Takano (Calif.)
Hours after Trump tore into Lewis for saying he wasn’t a “legitimate president,” Takano tweeted that he was boycotting the inauguration in solidarity with Lewis.
“I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration,” he tweeted, with a photo of Lewis marching alongside Martin Luther King Jr.
Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.)
Lieu called the Jan. 20 ceremony "a personal decision" since no votes will be taken, adding, "While I do not dispute that Trump won the Electoral College, I cannot normalize his behavior or the disparaging and un-American statements he has made."
“I can only hope that Trump will govern differently than he has campaigned. For me, the personal decision not to attend the Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis," he said.
Rep. Yvette Clarke (N.Y.)
Clarke also joined Lewis after he faced criticism from Trump. "When you insult [John Lewis], you insult America," she tweeted.
Rep. Judy Chu (Calif.)
"After much thought, I have decided to #StandWithJohnLewis and not attend the inauguration," she tweeted.
Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.)
“I never ever contemplated attending the inauguration or any activities associated w/ @realDonaldTrump. I wouldn't waste my time,” she tweeted.
Rep. Mark Pocan (Wis.)
“After reading classified Russian hacking doc & @realDonaldTrump offensive tweets to @repjohnlewis I will not be attending the Inauguration,” he tweeted.
Rep. Marcia Fudge (Ohio)
“I will not be attending #Inauguration. I will be at home in Cleveland. #IStandWithJohnLewis,” she tweeted.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.)
“Said last wk that I wasn't attending inauguration.Will be hosting #immigration roundtable in-district, then marching in #WomensMarch on 21st,” she tweeted.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.)
Invoking Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he wrote in a Facebook message that “it is up to us to preserve [Dr. King’s] legacy and the legacy of President Barack Obama to ensure that we do not go back in time!
President-elect Donald Trump is trying to take us back! And the people Trump is appointing– Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions – are trying to take us back!
That’s why I am not attending the presidential inauguration. Donald Trump and the hate-filled rhetoric that plagued his election simply will continue in his administration.
THIS is not Dr. King’s Dream!”
9 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
I give it a hearty R&
Thank you, flamingdem!
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/25-democratic-lawmakers-boycott-trump-inauguration-article-1.2947074
"As of Sunday evening, no U.S. senators had announced plans to join the boycott, although incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted Saturday that he would "always stand by my friend, American hero @repjohnlewis."
Schumer did not respond to questions Sunday whether that meant he would not be attending Friday's inauguration."
"As of Sunday evening, no U.S. senators had announced plans to join the boycott, although incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted Saturday that he would "always stand by my friend, American hero @repjohnlewis."
Schumer did not respond to questions Sunday whether that meant he would not be attending Friday's inauguration."
