Not that anybody is surprised, but President Donald Trump says he will not visit the body of John Lewis, who is lying in state in the Dome of the Capitol.
“I won’t be going. No,” President Trump told reporters at the White House before he left for North Carolina.
It’s not that Trump is hating on the late Congressman. Remember, he did pay tribute to Lewis last Saturday, after he returned from golfing with Senator Lindsey Graham earlier in the day.
“Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to him and his family,” Trump tweeted.
Other than that he has little to say publicly about Lewis, who was honored by political leaders in both parties for his life’s work.
You may also recall that Lewis did not attend Trump’s inauguration in January 2017 and said the president’s election was not legitimate.
“I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate president,’ Lewis told NBC News at the time. ‘I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.”
Trump responded via Twitter, writing in January 2017: ‘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 left as Lewis’ body arrived at the U.S. Capitol building, where lawmakers honored his legacy as a member of Congress and Civil Rights icon.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and Jill Biden will also be at the Capitol on Monday to honor Lewis.
A Democratic member of Congress from Atlanta since 1987, Lewis died on July 17 of pancreatic cancer at age 80.
Lewis is also the first African American to be given the honor of lying in state under the capitol dome since Rosa Parks.
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