Ayanna Pressley to boycott Donald Trump’s inauguration

Rep. Ayanna Pressley is not going the Kamala Harris route of magnanimity.

The Massachusetts Democrat and member of the far-left “Squad” said Tuesday she would boycott the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States on January 20.

In a statement to the Boston Globe, Ms. Pressley said Mr. Trump would pursue “harmful and hateful” policies and that it was his responsibility to create “a future rooted in love.”

“I plan to spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend in my district in community events that nourish our collective soul and recommit us to building a future rooted in love,” said Ms. Pressley.

“As we prepare to mitigate the most harmful and hateful policy decisions that will come from the Trump White House, I will be in Massachusetts 7 to help organize and mobilize our collective power that honors the vision of justice and justice. “Dr. King’s fairness to everyone in Massachusetts and America,” she added.

This is a far cry from the promises of President Biden and Ms. Harris, despite regularly calling Mr. Trump a fascist and a threat to democracy, that there would be a peaceful and regular transfer of power.

Ms. Harris, acting in the vice-presidential role as president of the Senate, even presided over the counting of the Electoral College votes in her defeat to Mr. Trump.

“One of the most important pillars of our democracy is that there will be a peaceful transfer of power, and today I did what I have done throughout my career, which is “to take seriously the oath I have repeatedly taken to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” she said Monday after the count.

The coincidence that upset Ms. Pressley is something that would happen about once every 30 years.

Inauguration Day, unless it falls on a Sunday, must legally be January 20. In 2025, January 20 also happens to be the third Monday of the month, which is the defined celebration for Martin Luther King Day.

The last presidential inauguration on a King Day holiday was during Bill Clinton’s second term in 1997 and the next one will be for whoever wins the 2052 election.

Ms. Pressley’s office told the Globe that she was planning a King Day weekend event involving speakers and workshops for Boston’s black community, but provided few details.