Rep. Barbara Lee will boycott the Jan. 20
presidential inauguration. 

CONGRESS | 13TH DISTRICT |
In Oakland, where fewer than five percent of voters cast a ballot for Donald Trump last November, apparently the famous East Bay political slogan, “Barbara Lee speaks for me” is very true.

On Thursday, Rep. Barbara Lee said she will boycott Trump’s inauguration ceremonies next week. In a statement, Lee, one of the most progressive members of Congress, said Trump’s past rhetoric against immigrants and people of color and his inability to rectify those comments after being elected last November, is the reason behind her decision.

“I will not be celebrating or honoring an incoming president who rode racism, sexism, xenophobia and bigotry to the White House,” said Lee. North Bay Rep. Jared Huffman will also not attend the Jan. 20 festivities in Washington, D.C.

“He called women ‘pigs,’ stoked Islamophobia and attacked a Gold Star family. He mocked a disabled reporter and appealed to people’s worst instincts. I cannot in good conscience attend an inauguration that would celebrate this divisive approach to governance,” Lee said. “On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance.”

One thing is for sure, there will be no blowback for the decision among her East Bay constituents. In Oakland, which makes up the largest portion of the 13th District, just 4.7 percent of registered voters backed Trump. In all of Alameda County, just 15 percent voted for eventual president-elect.

The announcement follows a high-profile attempt last Monday by Lee and other progressive Democrats to protest the Electoral College certificication of the November results. In Lee’s case, her microphone was shut off while speaking on the House floor.