President Donald Trump acknowledged that he skiped the memorial service for the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia) – a figure who was iconic in the battle for civil rights – because Lewis did not attend Trump’s inauguration.
Lewis, who died at age 80 last month, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, which he announced on Dec. 29, was known on Capital Hill for his moral compass.
Instead of honoring the late Lewis, Trump held a long-term grudge and skipped Lewis’ Congressional farewell ceremony.
In an interview with Axios on Monday, when Trump was prompted on how he thought history would remember Lewis, he said, “I don’t know. I really don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know John Lewis. He chose not to come to my inauguration.”
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
When asked whether Trump thought Lewis was impressive, he said, “I can’t say one way or the other … I find a lot of people impressive. I find many people not impressive. He didn’t come – he didn’t come to my inauguration. He didn’t come to my state of the union speeches. And that’s ok. That’s his right,” Trump said.
“He should’ve come. I think he made a big mistake,” Trump continued.
Although Trump skipped the ceremony, Vice President Mike Pence and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden attended. At the memorial, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Lewis, “[the] conscience of the Congress,” while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the Georgia Democrat as a model of courage.
On Tuesday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banned noncompete agreements in a 3-2 vote. The…
A proposed bill in California would prohibit security screening company CLEAR from skipping the general…
On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over a challenge to a law allowing…
The Arizona House of Representatives failed to advance a repeal of the state's 160-year-old abortion…
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed a bill restoring criminal charges in cases of hard drug possession.…
President Joe Biden's administration announced the first-ever national limits on toxic "forever chemicals" in drinking water. This…