Philadelphia’s Congressional delegation is breaking with tradition and sitting out this week’s presidential inauguration.
U.S. Reps. Bob Brady, Brendan Boyle and Dwight Evans, who represent Philadelphia, and Rep. Mike Doyle of Pittsburgh are among a growing number of federal lawmakers boycotting Donald Turmp’s inauguration ceremony Jan. 20. As of presstime, nearly 60 members of the U.S. House have said they won’t attend, a movement that gained speed after Trump took to Twitter to insult civil-rights icon Congressman John Lewis.
After Lewis remarked that Trump’s presidency was not legitimate, Trump wrote on social media that Lewis was “all talk, talk, talk — no action or results.” He also criticized Lewis’ Georgia district as “crime-infested” in a series of tweets that came shortly before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Lewis is a longtime civil-rights activist who was an original Freedom Rider. He was also a lead organizer of the March on Washington, during which King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
“I had been considering [not going] but the John Lewis thing did absolutely tip me,” Brady told PGN. This is the first presidential inauguration Brady is sitting out.
“To pick a fight with him after Donald Trump has been saying President Obama isn’t a legitimate president for eight years? Now all of a sudden he’s going to take offense to someone saying that about him? That’s bull,” the representative added.
Brady said he considers Lewis a close friend and noted the 30-year Congressman is well-respected among both Democrats and Republicans.
“John’s my friend and one of the classiest people I know in this business. He has more respect from both sides of the aisle than anybody in Washington,” Brady said. “It could’ve been good for Donald Trump to reach out to Rep. Lewis and say, ‘Look, maybe we can work some things out.’ John would’ve met and talked to him. Instead, he came out insulting and picking a fight. It’s a fight he’s never going to win.”
That was a sentiment also shared by Evans.
“I #StandWithJohnLewis. I will not be attending the inauguration,” Evans tweeted Monday, which was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Boyle followed, with a Facebook post in which he called Trump a “unique threat to the Constitution and to our country.”
Boyle went on to note that he has long seen Inauguration Day as a “nonpolitical” event, but that, while he doesn’t challenge Trump’s Electoral College victory, he can’t “in good conscience” celebrate what he says is a “grave mistake.”
“I accept the decision of the people. I respect it. But I will not celebrate it,” Boyle wrote.
Philadelphia is the only major city whose entire Congressional delegation is boycotting the inauguration.
The resistance will need to continue into the administration, Brady noted.
“It looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands: a fight for LGBT issues, women’s rights, health care,” Brady said. “LGBT [people] should be really concerned about this guy. We’re in a fight. But we know we how to fight. And we’re going to keep on fighting.”