Donald Trump's inauguration may be sparsely attended. Not only has the president-elect struggled to find a single (genuine) celebrity to perform, but a growing number of Democratic congresspeople are declaring they will not show up at his swearing in on Jan. 20.
Following Trump's harsh words on Saturday about Representative John Lewis of Georgia, Democrats from across the country are taking the symbolic step of refusing to attend.
The president-elect accused the civil rights icon of being "all talk and no action or results" after Lewis criticized Trump on NBC and said he would be skipping the inauguration.
Politico reported that as of Saturday afternoon, at least 16 House Democrats have publicly stated they will not go to the inauguration. There are 194 Democrats in the House, but the boycott movement appears to be growing as the politicians share on Twitter their passionate reasons for not attending.
Posting a picture of Lewis alongside Martin Luther King Jr., Mark Takano of California said he could not attend.
Follow"All talk, no action."
I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration.
He was joined by Yvette Clarke of New York, Judy Chu of California, Nydia Velazquez of New York, Mark DeSaulnier of California and Ted Lieu of California, who all shared their decisions on social media. Lieu said in a statement that Trump has attacked "Gold Star parents, veterans such as John McCain and now civil rights icon John Lewis."
"For me, the personal decision not to attend Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis."
FollowI will NOT attend the inauguration of @realDonaldTrump. When you insult @repjohnlewis, you insult America.
FollowAfter much thought, I have decided to #StandWithJohnLewis and not attend the inauguration.
Follow.@repjohnlewis is a national hero and I stand with him! I also am not attending inauguration given the tone of @realDonaldTrump's campaign
FollowIt is with a heavy heart and deep personal conviction that I have decided not to attend the #TrumpInauguration on January 20, 2017.
FollowMr. Lieu's statement on why he won't be attending the Inauguration of @realDonaldTrump READ HERE: lieu.house.gov/media-center/p…
Other Democrats had already pulled out of the event, including Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, who shared a statement on Jan. 6 that raised concerns about the "anti-woman," "anti-immigrant" and "anti-Muslim" rhetoric of the Trump campaign for president.
"I do not feel that I can contribute to the normalization of the President-elect's divisive rhetoric by participating in the Inauguration," she said.
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