Barbara Lee says Trump represents the 'most extreme fringes of the Republican Party'
Credit: Reginald James
California Democrat Barbara Lee has announced that she will boycott Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, arguing that his administration will normalise ‘the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party’.
In 2001, Lee was the only member of Congress who voted against authorising military force in response to the 9/11 attacks. Today, in an impassioned statement, she condemned Trump’s divisive campaign, his actions as president-elect and his high-level appointments.
Trump has spent years appealing to prejudice, xenophobia & sexism. And since his election, he has shown us he will govern as he campaigned.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) January 12, 2017
Here is the full statement:
“Inaugurations are celebratory events, a time to welcome the peaceful transition of power and honor the new administration. On January 20th, I will not be celebrating or honoring an incoming president who rode racism, sexism, xenophobia and bigotry to the White House.
“Donald Trump ran one of the most divisive and prejudiced campaigns in modern history. He began his campaign by insulting Mexican immigrants, pledging to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and then spent a year and a half denigrating communities of color and normalizing bigotry. He called women ‘pigs’, stoked Islamophobia, and attacked a Gold Star family. He mocked a disabled reporter and appealed to people’s worst instincts. I cannot in good conscience attend an inauguration that would celebrate this divisive approach to governance.
“After the election, many hoped the president-elect would turn toward unifying our country. Instead he has shown us that he will utilize the same tools of division he employed on the campaign trail as our nation’s Commander-in-Chief. We need look no further than the team he is assembling to find signals that the era of Trump will be one of chaos and devastation for our communities.
“The president-elect has named Steve Bannon, a white nationalist as his chief strategist. He has nominated Senator Jeff Sessions to the office of Attorney General, despite his long career of opposition to civil and human rights. And in perhaps the most damning sign of the chaos to come, the president-elect has expedited the process to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make America sick again.”
“To make matters worse, after the intelligence community reported Russian interference in our election, Donald Trump frequently and forcefully defended Vladimir Putin. He insulted senior intelligence officials in order to preserve his reputation and disguise the truth. The American people will never forget that when a foreign government violated our democracy, Donald Trump chose the interests of another nation over our own.
“Donald Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party. On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance.”
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3 Responses to “‘I will be preparing for resistance’ – Congresswoman announces inauguration boycott in powerful statement”
Just Cann
A very good position taken by on Trump by Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Many thanks on behalf of decent people.
K. Parker
Good for you Ms. Lee. I hope many others follow your lead.
Lawrence Hearn
It would be a great service to the American people if, every time Donald Trump is mentioned, it is reiterated that he came 2nd in the election. Americans must be constantly reminded that their presidential electoral system, designed in the 1700s by slave owners, fails the basic test of democracy – the candidate who wins (by 3 million votes) the election should be the president.