UPDATED, 5:19 p.m. ET: In a new development, sources tell ABC News that Donald Trump is expected to visit the National African American Museum in Washington D.C. in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
A reporter for the Washingtonian received confirmation that this was false.
See original story below.
With Jan. 20 ushering in at least four years of the Donald Trump administration, it doesn’t appear the former reality show host and real estate magnate will dial back his habit of being disrespectful and sometimes blatantly inaccurate with his tweets. The president-elect kicked off Martin Luther King Jr. Day memorial weekend by setting his sights on civil rights icon and Democratic Congressman John Lewis.
Things began earlier in the week with Lewis testifying against Sen. Jeff Sessions, who is Trump’s pick for attorney general. Additionally, Lewis stated he didn’t view Trump as a “legitimate president” in the wake of a government probe linking Russian hackers to the 2016 election Trump won over Hillary Clinton. Trump responded with two tweets attacking Lewis’ district and personal track record as a politician.
The tweets were viewed as troubling by some for a number of reasons. Lewis initially made his name as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee participating in the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march from Montgomery, Alabama to Selma, Alabama. Lewis was arrested upwards of 40 times in the 1960s while challenging Jim Crow statutes, which essentially nullify Trump’s claims of him being “no action or results.”
Trump’s accusations also come days before the nation commemorates the actions taken by Lewis and his contemporaries with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
As it regards Trump’s claims about the 5th District Lewis presides over, Census data shows the region boasts a median income of $48,000 per household. The district also has an 8.2 percent percent unemployment rate, which is above a national jobless rate that sits below 5 percent. Prior to being nominated as president, Donald Trump had no notable political experience.
