Dozens of Democrats are planning to boycott Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration next month.
According to Axios, 13 Democrats have already confirmed their decision to skip the ceremony, with more still undecided. While not every Democrat is protesting Trump by skipping the event, a formal boycott is forming as a way to resist the incoming president.
Many Democrats are still haunted by the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, viewing Trump as a threat to democracy. The overlap of Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the inauguration provides an easy excuse for some, while others are staying away due to their disdain for Trump or concerns for their safety.
Among those boycotting is Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez, who says, as a Latina, she doesn’t “feel safe coming” to an event surrounded by Trump supporters. Similarly, far-left Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar plans to attend Martin Luther King Jr. Day events to avoid potential “chaos” at the inauguration.
The White House confirmed that President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will attend, fulfilling Biden’s promise to attend the inauguration of whoever won the election. “He and the First Lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration,” said senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates.
It is also expected that Vice President Kamala Harris will attend, though there has been no official confirmation yet.
Unlike Biden, Trump skipped Biden’s 2021 inauguration in protest of alleged voter fraud, while during Trump’s 2017 inauguration, both Joe Biden and Barack Obama, along with his opponent Hillary Clinton, attended.
