The Atlantic

Why Some Democrats in Congress Refuse to Attend Trump's Inauguration

“Trump is absolutely trying to attack our democratic institutions and to make the country more authoritarian,” one Democratic lawmaker warns.
Source: Mike Theiler / Reuters

A steadily growing number of congressional Democrats are refusing to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, sending a message of resistance at the outset of Trump’s presidency. It’s less clear, however, what exactly that message is, and whether it will do the Democratic Party much good as it attempts to find its way in the Trump era.

The high-profile protest was galvanized by the president-elect’s of civil rights icon John Lewis as “all talk” and no action” over the weekend after the Georgia congressman he does not view Trump “as a legitimate president” and did not plan to attend Trump’s inauguration. At the latest count, more than 60 Democrats in Congress have they will not show up. Painting a bleak picture of what the country now faces, some Democrats warn that the incoming Trump administration could

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