Trump Clash with John Lewis Leads to Inauguration Boycott

 

Lewis is a Congressman¹ from the American state of Georgia. He represents the city of Atlanta and its suburbs. Over the weekend, Lewis had this to say about incoming President-elect Donald Trump²: "I don't see the President-elect as a legitimate³ president."

When Chuck Todd, host of the Meet the Press news program, asked why, Lewis continued, "I think the Russians participated in helping⁴ this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. I don't plan to attend the inauguration⁵."

The President-elect answered back in his tweets. He wrote that "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!"

Many Twitter users sent their own messages in support of Rep. Lewis. Rather than him being "all talk and no action," they reminded Trump of the many actions that Rep. Lewis took as a civil rights protester and still takes as a Representative.

Rep. Lewis took part in sit-ins to protest segregation⁶ in the southern United States in the early 1960s. He was beaten by mobs and arrested for being in the protests.

Lewis has been arrested at least 45 times, the latest arrest in 2013 during an immigration protest outside the U.S. Capitol. In June, 2016, Lewis led a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives to protest lack of action on gun control.

Other representatives in Congress are following the steps that Rep. Lewis says he will take. Representative Mark Takano said he will also boycott⁷ the inauguration.

According to Fusion⁸.net, there are more than 40 representatives who have said they will not attend the inauguration. The list of representatives contains their reasons for not attending.

Some commentators¹⁰ are criticizing the timing¹¹ of Trump's attack on Rep. Lewis. The attack came on the weekend when Americans celebrated¹² the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. as a national holiday.

Trump had planned to visit the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture on Monday, which was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Instead, he met privately¹³ in New York with the son of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King III told the press he had talked with Trump about voting rights. King added that Trump “said that he is going to represent Americans — he’s said that over and over again. We will continue to evaluate that.”

And that's what's trending today.

Words in This Story

segregation - n. the practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other

sit-in - n. a strike or protest in which people sit or stay in a place and refuse to leave until they are given what they demand

commentator⁹ - n. a person who discusses important people and events on television, in newspapers, etc.

1 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

6 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

7 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

8 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

9 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

10 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

12 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

13 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。