More than a dozen congressional Democrats plan to skip President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
“For somebody who he said he’s going to lock me up, I don’t see the excitement in going to see his inauguration,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the former January 6 select committee chairman, said.
Other Democrats see the January 20 inauguration coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a convenient excuse not to attend the 47th president’s inauguration.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) said that events celebrating King Jr. “makes sense, because why risk any chaos that might be up here?”
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) claimed, as a Latina, she does not feel “safe” attending the inauguration.
“I’m not going to physically be in D.C. on that day,” she said.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) said he “almost never attends inaugurations,” explaining that he has only been to two during his 28 years in office, his spokesperson explained.
Axios reported that 13 House Democrats do not plan to attend the big day, 20 are undecided, and 44 are planning to attend.
On the Senate side, ten Senate Democrats remain undecided, and 11 are confirmed to be attending on January 20.
“I’m planning to attend… because I believe in the peaceful transition of power and I respect the Office of the President,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) said.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) said he cannot be “part of that spectacle” as someone who was “locked in my office… as the insurrectionists tried to overthrow our government.”
Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) said progressives “are coming down in different ways,” but that she feels “it’s important that we try to establish norms again.”
Others questioned the need to ask lawmakers if they are attending the inauguration.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said, “Pssh, is that the burning issue of the day?”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.