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After what is now a well-known feud between President-elect Donald Trump and civil-rights icon and Georgia congressman John Lewis, there has been a growing number of politicians boycotting the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration.
Add Congressman Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills) to that list. Doyle said in a noontime tweet today, “I’m going to #StandWithJohnLewis. I won’t attend the Inauguration on Friday.”
Matt Dinkel, head of communications for Doyle, would not elaborate on the exact reasons why Doyle wasn’t attending, but said the public scuffle between Trump and Lewis was “certainly the deciding factor.” Dinkel could not say if this was the first time that Doyle has
missed a presidential inauguration.
About an hour after Doyle’s tweet, there has been an outpouring of support on Twitter for his decision. As of press time, he received 35 replies (almost all of them positive) and 160 likes.
Lewis said on Meet the Press Jan 14 that he didn’t see Trump as a “legitimate” president, citing Russia’s influence in the election. Lewis also said, for this reason, that he would not be attending Trump’s inauguration.
Trump in response, took to Twitter, as he does, to hurl insults at Lewis. “Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S.,” tweeted Trump on Jan 14. “I can use all the help I can get!”
In response, many congressional Democrats have decided to boycott the inaugurations. According to the Washington Post, Doyle joins at least 51 other House Democrats in deciding not to attend the event. So far, Matthew Cartwritght (D-Moosic) is the only Pa. House Democrat who has not stated publicly whether he is attending Trump’s inauguration. The other four, including Doyle, are all not attending.
This article appears in Jan 11-17, 2017.
The Democrates want to keep this country racially divided. Because they KNOW when WE THE PEOPLE come together they will be useless to us!!!!!!
Great, lets hope that Trump skips Doyle’s district when considering grants and any sort of federal money!
I have lived in Pittsburgh for 62 years and I am ashamed to see what I am witnessing. President Trump is our President. I will support him and to all those politicians who we have elected and will come up for relection and have decided to stand by Congressman Lewis and not acknowledge Mr. Trump as the elected President Shame on you. The people elected Mr. Trump because some of us believe he loves this country as much as we do and he will do the right thing for not only the country but, for the people. For those who choose not to attend and boycott his presidency will be remembered when election time comes around. Just remember a country that stands together is alot stronger than one that is divided.
I find this disgusting. President Trump was elected by the pepple to be our President and not to support him shows a lack of respect not only to him but to us from these so called Congressman who refuse to acknowledge that we elected him and he is their President too. This country stood against these types of politicians in this election and we will do so again when their time comes up to be relected. Congressman Lewis should be ashamed of himself as he is not about making this country stronger. If I didnt know any better any man who didnt recognize the President of his country could be considered a traitor. How sad at a time when we should be concerned with fighting terrorists we have to fight with our own people.
I fail to understand your thinking process on this. This is the 45th president if the united states. This is not Donald Trump H .Clinton or any other person that became our president. This is our new Commander in Chief,and I feel as my elected official you and every other elected person should be there to show the world that this is our new president,and this is what we do in the free world. There have been a lot of people elected president in my life time I have to admit there were some I did not like, but I still supported them from day one, and I expect the same from anyone I send to Washington,so I hope you do the right thing as an American, and go stand with your new president,and hope that the people that put you in Washington stand with you the next time your name is up for reelection
He’s a putz. (I’m also a Democrat) We will remember this, Doyle.
Who cares
This was disgusting as a politician you are voted in for your people!!! Not for Lewis!! When it’s reelection time I guarantee we not only will not forget we will work hard to make sure that any representative that thinks Lewis was more important that uniting our country is not fit to represent us!!!!!!! We have been more divided in this country in the last 4 years since the 70’s and you just added to it!!!
Thank you, Mike Doyle! The easy, politically-cautious thing to do was to attend the inauguration. The brave thing to do, and more importantly the MORAL thing to do was to protest. Just as it was moral and right to protest the oppression by the British during the Revolutionary War, and moral and right to protest for equal rights for blacks and women in the 60s. But you might ask: why protest now, given that Trump is our new commander in chief, etc? Because Trump has, even before taking office, shown himself to be a racist, a xenophobe, a sexist; ignorant of global warming and torture and nuclear weapons; insulting to veterans, the disabled, and the Pope; a hypocrite; and the biggest liar among all the presidential candidates in 2016. I’m sure I missed some. He is our president but he deserves to be removed from office as soon as possible, before he does more damage to our country.