By Rahul Raghavan
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA, will boycott President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress at the end of this month. She is the fifth Democrat to boycott the annual agenda-setting speech this year.
Reps. John Lewis, Frederica Wilson, Earl Blumenauer, and Maxine Waters announced their decision earlier.
In a message to her constituents on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jaypal said on Monday that she will not attend the event because of “racism and hatred” espoused by President Trump.
“I’m here on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to say I will not be going to the State of the Union,” she said in a video posted on social media.
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“I think it is absolutely unacceptable to see the racism and the hatred coming out the White House in a way in which this president is fueling the flames of divisiveness across our country,” she added.
Jayapal criticized Trump for allegedly describing several nations as “shithole countries” referring to immigrants from African countries, Haiti and El Salvador during an Oval Office meeting last week.
“I would not be attending the State of the Union this year,†Jayapal said. “I join other distinguished members, including Rep. John Lewis, in refusing to dignify a President who has used the platform of the Oval Office to fan the flames of racism, sexism and hatred-most recently with his vulgar condemnation of Haiti and other African countries.â€
Trump allegedly made the “shithole†remark at a White House meeting with lawmakers last week.
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When the remark sparked a controversy, the president later tweeted that he “never” made such comments.
“Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said ‘take them out.’ Made up by Dems,” he tweeted.
Critics denounced the language saying that it serves as a proof that Trump harbors racist views. Later the president said to reporters, “No, I’m not a racist. I’m the least racist person you will ever interview”.
Jayapal said those boycotting the event will host their “own State of Our Union to talk about our opposition to these racist policies that are being put out of the White House and to make sure we put out our own aggressive vision of what our America looks like as we take it back.”
Meanwhile, a group of female Democrats under the leadership of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has announced that they are planning to wear black in solidarity with sexual harassment victims to honor the “Me Too” movement.
My refusal to attend the State of the Union is not about policy differences , of which I have many. I would attend a State of the Union by a president with whom I disagree if I felt she or he was otherwise respectful and adhered to basic moral values or basic tenets of civility.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) January 17, 2018