These 20 Democrats Are Sitting Out Trump’s Inauguration

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By Phillip Stucky

The number of Democratic lawmakers boycotting President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration has increased to 20, according to a Monday report from Fox News.

The most recent dropouts came as a result of the spat Trump had with Rep. John Lewis over the weekend on Twitter, according to Rep. Ted Lieu of California.

“For me, the personal decision not to attend [the] inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis,” Lieu said in a prepared statement.

Lewis called Trump’s win “illegitimate,” in an interview with NBC News Friday, a move that prompted Trump to fire back a response on Twitter. “Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!” Trump wrote in a pair of tweets early Saturday morning.

Lieu and Lewis joined Democratic Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Katherine Clark, John Conyers, Primila Jayapal, Jared Huffman, Mark DeSaulnier, Lacy Clay, Earl Blumenauer, Adam Smith, Barbara Lee, Raul Grijalva, Kurt Schrader, Jose Serrano, Nydia Velazquez, Mark Takano, Yvette Clarke, Judy Chu, Jerry Nadler, and Adriano Espaillat.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton responded with indignation with Trump refused to say whether or not he planned to support the results of the election if he lost in November.

“We know, in our country, the difference between leadership and dictatorship. And the peaceful transition of power is something that sets us apart,” Clinton said in October, going on to assert that Trump’s refusal “threatens Democracy.”