List Of Inauguration Day Boycotts Grows, Even Some Trump Voters Begin To Express Regret
Donald Trump will always have supporters, but the list of folks who support him gets smaller every day, according to recent accounts by multiple sources. The list of people who are boycotting Donald Trump’s inauguration is growing by the day, with the Washington Post reporting that as many as 42 members of Congress are not attending the inauguration, and they aren’t alone in their thoughts on the incoming president. Even some of Trump’s own voters are beginning to express Trump regret.
Additionally, a new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that Trump is heading into his presidency with a favorability rating of just 40 percent, “by far the lowest popularity for an incoming president in polling since 1977,” reports NBC News. Democrat Jimmy Carter became the 39th president in 1977, taking over from Republican Gerald Ford.
Donald Trump has already said this specific poll was rigged.
The same people who did the phony election polls, and were so wrong, are now doing approval rating polls. They are rigged just like before.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2017
But this poll released today is not the only data that suggests support for Donald Trump wanes by the day.
The Washington Post reports today that a “growing group” of Democratic members of the House of Representatives are boycotting the inauguration of Donald Trump on Friday. They are protesting multiple facets of the president-elect, with his recent criticism of American civil rights hero Congressman John Lewis being at the top of the list of many current complaints against Donald Trump.
There are, at present, at least 42 lawmakers who say they are not attending Inauguration Day on Capitol Hill this week, reports the Washington Post. This number reportedly “rose sharply” after Trump tweeted that Congressman John Lewis was “all talk, talk, talk” and slammed Congressman Lewis’ district. As the Inquisitr reported Monday, many of the claims Trump made about Lewis and Georgia’s 5th District that he has represented for decades, are factually inaccurate.
But since that Twitter rampage against widely respected Congressman Lewis, who is also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, lawmakers are lining up to put their name on the list of those boycotting the Trump inauguration.
Rep. Don Byer of Virginia’s 8th District is one of them. He referred to Martin Luther King Jr. in explaining his rationale to his constituents on why he was not attending the inauguration.
He also said he will “not be part of normalizing or legitimizing a man whose election may well have depended on the malicious foreign interference of Russia’s leaders, a person who lies profusely and without apology, who mimics the disabilities of others.”
I just told hundreds of my constituents that I will not be attending the Inauguration Ceremony this coming Friday. Here is what I said: pic.twitter.com/YLJz5OWjXe
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) January 16, 2017
Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, called Donald Trump a threat to the Constitution when bowing out of Inauguration Day. He says he’s never said that before about any politician, and does not take saying that lightly, in a Facebook post to his constituents. He also has proudly served with Rep. John Lewis and referred to the Russia hacking news as a treacherous act that must be investigated immediately.
One of my proudest moments in my public service career .@repjohnlewis pic.twitter.com/AcejEAjJ7f
— US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) January 14, 2017
.@repjohnlewis is a hero and I'm lucky to call him a colleague. You sir are not half the man he is. @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/f7VwPYQNiz
— US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) January 14, 2017
In a highly partisan atmosphere in post-election Washington, D.C., it is expected that the Democrats are going to have some backlash against Donald Trump. However, it’s not just Democrats saying no to Trump, and no to the inauguration.
Democratic lawmakers are not the only ones bowing out of the inauguration. A spokesperson for the District of Columbia Public Schools says they don’t know of any public school that has applied to be a marching band for the Inauguration Day parade, reports NBC News.
One school that has participated as the marching band in the past five inaugurations did not apply to be considered by Donald Trump this year. It’s not a partisan matter for the Ballou High School’s Majestic Marching Knights, as they marched for George W. Bush in 2005, playing Destiny Child’s “Lose My Breath” when marching along Pennsylvania Avenue.
At Dunbar High School, NBC News reports that the band played for President Obama in 2009, but are sitting this one out as they are “rebuilding the band,” according to the principal of the school. At Washington, D.C.’s Howard University, the band cited budget matters as the reason for not applying to the Trump camp to march this year. However, the director John Newson told NBC News that he suspects that many administrators across Washington, D.C., are actually bowing out due to political reasons.
“I think everybody knows why and no one wants to say and lose their job.”
Marching bands and lawmakers saying no to Inauguration Day aren’t the only areas of concern for the Trump team. Backstreet Magazine reports that another band that was initially scheduled to perform, the B Street Band, backed out. The B Street Band, which is a Bruce Springsteen cover band, was scheduled to play but changed their mind due to how Bruce Springsteen feels about Donald Trump.
In a statement issued to Backstreet Magazine, the B Street Band said, “With deepest apologies to our fans and the New Jersey Inaugural Ball Committee, the B Street Band is withdrawing from performing at this year’s Inauguration Gala. Our decision is based solely on the respect and gratitude we have for Bruce and the E Street Band.”
This drop out of the inauguration occurred just days after Jennifer Holliday announced she was dropping out of the inauguration, reports the Independent. Newsweek reports that other celebrities that declined to participate in Inauguration Day include Garth Brooks, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, and Elton John.
But celebrities and lawmakers are not the only ones saying no to Donald Trump. Trump regret from voters is becoming more common by the day.
Trump voter Teena Colebrook told MSNBC that she has Trump regret because he has backed out on his promise to drain the swamp. She believed Trump would be a Washington outsider who would serve the people and believed him when he said his only special interest was “to you the American people.”
She said, “He said he was going to drain the swamp. Instead, he’s filling it with alligators.”
She now regrets her decision on Election Day. After the election, Teena’s home was foreclosed on due to banking situations managed by members of the Trump team. Watch what she says here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sd2ZKAuGUY&ab_channel=ThinkPolitics
Teena is not alone. She said in her interview with MSNBC that many people have been foreclosed on by the same bank, and many of them voted for Trump and now have Trump regret. And those homeowners are not the only ones upset with Donald Trump either.
Many Trump voters have been doing what he does and are taking to Twitter to address their concerns with the President-elect. One cited the John Lewis incident and Russia as the source of their major regret.
Consider this Trump voter a #NeverTrump for 2020. Primary him! The Russia love and John Lewis attack too far for me!! Major regret.
— Samson (@CrossSamson) January 15, 2017
And while Democrats have fun poking fun at Trump’s tweets and rants, even Trump voters are getting tired of it. Trump receives many tweets from his own voters daily asking him to stop tweeting and “act like a president.”
@realDonaldTrump stop sending tweets out, you are making me so ashamed I voted for you. Don't you listen to us.
— paul goodwin (@paulgoodwin56) January 16, 2017
I voted for you, but, your tweets sill make you sound like 2 year old – or worse. Give it up or you're a 1 termer.
— danielbotnick (@danielbotnick) January 16, 2017
The negative news that Donald Trump receives isn’t helping him heading into Inauguration Day. The recent health care news is another big reason some Trump voters have Trump regret.
@realDonaldTrump I Regret my decision more with each piece of news I see
— Spoiler Goblin (@SpoilerGoblin) December 18, 2016
@realDonaldTrump You d-bag. Your making America great again by killing affordable healthcare? Regretting that I voted for you already.
— Ultimate Privacy (@ultprivacy) January 13, 2017
Trump has said he does not plan on leaving Twitter anytime soon. However, even his own voters are getting tired of it. Some are trying to get the message to him that “silence is best.”
Another Trump voter regret LOL pic.twitter.com/BHI3J04Wc4
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) December 24, 2016
Some Trump voters are still hanging on with their support but are not refraining from sending him some strong words of caution.
One tweeted that Trump was making the United States look “splintered and insecure.” Another suggested he get thicker skin. They are sentiments that echo many sentiments by Trump voters along the timeline of Donald Trump’s Twitter account. Some are simple words of caution, others are clear Trump regret.
Inauguration Day will be a historic event, as it always is. But all of these recent reports suggest it may be one of the quietest presidential inaugurations in history. Will you be watching the Trump inauguration?
[Featured Image by Jose Luis Magana/AP Images]