Is Trump a coward? (for not visiting the African American History Museum tomorrow)

I expect it to be the first of many cowardly moves he’ll make in the next four years.

Coward. But let’s not pretend we’re surprised.

Trump could have gone to the museum and spoken about what unites us. I think Trump is incapable of making a statesmanlike statement. Everything that comes our of his mouth is trashl

Cowardice, or malice and a sign of his racism?
I am going for the latter.

@LostInParadise – that was my thought. He could have made this a positive experience. but he took the low road, as usual.

I think all falls upon John Lewis’ shoulders. He has come out strong against Trump and is not passing up any opportunity to say Trumps presidency is illegitimate because of the alleged hacking of emails by the Russians. Trump probably canceled the minute after Lewis’s interview on Meet the Press this morning where he said…

“t’s going to be very hard and very difficult, almost impossible for me to work with him.”

Lewis made it very clear Trump is not wanted in his neck of the woods and I think Trump is making the prudent move to not fan the flames with his appearance especially just a few days out from his swearing in. My guess it ultimately was decided by the Secret Service that it would be impossible to have the level of control over a president elects appearance in and around the Lewis firestorm and made a very prudent decision to not go.

@Cruiser – sounds you’re making a similar comparison as Trump did when Obama was elected – all the (false) doubts about Obama’s birth certificate that Trump spearheaded. Actions by Trump and that nutty dentist from California that were screaming “the president is illegitmate” every night on the news.

As I see it, Lewis is doing nothing worse to Trump than Trump did to Obama, with the exception that Obama actually had more votes than either Republican did.

Bad analogy @elbanditoroso Obama never depended on a meeting with Trump to address the race relations of our country. Lewis is one of the most powerful black leaders in our country and with Sharpton as his right hand man…these 2 are taking this country straight back to 1964.

What do Lewis’s views on the DNC hacking have to do with MLK? Trump is turning it into a racial issue. You uppity ni***a think you can dis me. I’ll show you! I am not going to give my speech at the MLK museum.

How does that reasoning even make sense unless it comes from an out and out bigot?

Cowardice, carelessness, racism, statesmanlike – whatever it is, it’s giving off a vibe that he doesn’t care about history and culture of black people, (that make a good part of his country’s population) which does not benefit him as a leader.

It is not just black history. This is a national holiday. What King did was for the betterment of all of us.

Trump is just pimp-slapping.

The secret service has been diverting presidents every single term, and family members too, sometimes.
I tend to go along with @Cruiser on that thought.
I didn’t vote for Trump, but I am eager to see how he does.
So far it seems he has approached his coming office bravely and with a lot of thought.
I am hopeful for him.
I am embarrassed to see how so many Clinton followers have allowed themselves to behave so immaturely.
I am not looking to take a spot on a soap box, but I do have an opinion.
Citizens should give a newly elected official a chance to succeed or fail before any uprisings. I swear it sounds like democrats are allowing themselves to be radicalized by those who seek continued power from the crooked politicians who set them up to begin with.

@Cruiser “I think all falls upon John Lewis’ shoulders.”

How extraordinarily weak for the leader of your nation to balk at showing solidarity with all black Americans because of the words of one man.

And yes, he is a coward if he blames that one man for his actions. Is he going to run and hide every time someone says something he doesn’t like?

Trump isn’t fit to shine John Lewis’s shoes.

Lewis is one of the most powerful black leaders in our country and with Sharpton as his right hand man…these 2 are taking this country straight back to 1964.

In case anyone is wondering why a Trump cheerleader thinks the mention of “1964” is supposed to bring revulsion:

Civil Rights Act of 1964

@dappled_leaves How quickly your forget Trump was scheduled to go the Museum tomorrow and it was Lewis’s call to arm’s for all blacks to oppose Trump that made it impossible to ensure his safety at that museum…

“I continue to say it to people today and I’m going to continue to say it during the next few days….That when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something. You cannot afford to be quiet or to be silent.”

That last statement made that visit a potential dust up with protesters and hence a Secret Service nightmare. He canceled not only for his own safety but the protesters his presence would undoubtedly have drawn. Nothing weak about Trump backing out….it was the smart and prudent thing to do.

Lewis’s call to arm’s for all blacks to oppose Trump

Can you provide a quote?

Yes, cowardly, unstatesman-like, insensitive, hateful, I could go on and on. Trump’s behavior and actions these last few days before—I gag to say the next two words—his inauguration, not to mention over the past year and a half, is a template for the kind of unthinkably horrible president and “leader of the free world” Trump will be… for however long or short he may hold office.

Thank goodness for men like John Lewis who will oppose him. Thank Ignorance for those who elected him.

@Call_Me_Jay The quote I based my comment on is in my previous answer.

“you have a moral obligation to do something. You cannot afford to be quiet or to be silent.””

If you actually watch the whole Meet the Press interview you will see and hear the stern defiance when he speaks throughout the entire interview.

“Stern defiance?” Go ahead and say uppity. Your intent is clear.

Anyway, Lewis wasn’t addressing that to only black people. He said nothing like that.

You’re upset that someone is calling for decent people to speak out and protest against immorality. And you see that as threatening and a call for race war. Wow.

As I’ve said before, when you’re an enthusiastic cheerleader for the favorite candidate of the Klan and white supremacists, perhaps you should take some time out and think about what that says about your values.

@Call_Me_Jay If it makes you feel better, go ahead put words in my mouth…better yet I will PM you my login password and you can post for me. READ MY POSTS! The museum visit is a security nightmare now all because of Mr. Lewis’s comments. It was his choice to accelerate the race issue WE ALL face. He had a golden opportunity to “school Trump” yet he is turning his back on the opportunity.

”“By going to Selma,” Lewis said of Trump, “maybe he would learn something.” But, he added, “I would not invite him to come.””

As I said in my first post IMHO this all falls on Mr. Lewis’s shoulders as he is creating this problem and fanning the flames.

Speaking of putting words in someone’s mouth.

Lewis didn’t call for “all blacks” to act. He was speaking to all decent people. He didn’t make any threats.

You see a black man who, like the great majority of Americans, disapproves of Trump, and your mind leaps to riots and threats.

I’m not making that up or putting words in your mouth. You’re making your views clear.

A national poll of 899 voters? Seriously! lol! I see you did not learn your lesson about believing Polls during the election @Call_Me_Jay

The cancellation is simply necessary. You can bet the Secret Service is breathing a big sigh of relief.

I did a Web search regarding Trump’s planned MLK Museum visit and could not find anything relating to threats of violence. Could somebody please provide a link? This article is typical of what I found. There is no mention of possible violence.

As near as I can tell, Trump’s decision was based on his usual petty vindictiveness enhanced by a good helping of racism. The article mentions that Trump will visit the museum at a future date. Yeah, no doubt the same day he releases his tax returns.

Lewis has stated he isn’t going to work with Trump. He goes on about Trump being an invalid president and that Russia put Trump in office. Lewis doesn’t want to see Trump’s face basically. Maybe Trump decided it’s better not to have such antagonism in the room at an event important to Lewis and the black community. It’s possible if Trump was there people would have been screaming out that they don’t want him there, and would have been disruptive in a day that should be honoring a great leader MLK, and a day that honors our African American citizens in more than one way.

Trump isn’t president yet, did other president-elect’s go to these sort of events? I have no idea, I’m just curious.

I think it would have been better if he went, but I think it would be better if Lewis wasn’t so completely and utterly negative about Trump at this moment in time. Lewis does not see Trump as our president. I don’t think Lewis wants him there.

As far as Atlanta, when I hear Trump talk negatively about black ghettos, I hear him say his worry for the people there, not that the people there are horrible people. I do think Trump needs to word it in a different way, because obviously people are easily turning it into Trump calling people in the ghetto all bad. Don’t we want the gang activity, shootings, drug houses, and overall bad conditions to be made better in the ghettos? If you want that then you too are critical about what is happening in those places. From slum landlords to criminal activity, the good people who live in those places, which is the majority of the people, should be able to live safely, and have good schools, and decent housing, and hopefully we can raise the standard of living there.

Lewis’s district is not much poorer than the rest of the state or national averages. Trump’s assessment, like most of what he says, is fact-free. Link

I’ll add Lewis said he would not invite Trump to Selma, AL. Lewis made it clear he doesn’t want Trump around. Lewis said he would not go to the inauguration.

@LostInParadise I think the facts matter, don’t get me wrong, but in the abstract, people don’t like Trump saying anything negative about anyone or anyplace, and I really do have a problem with how Trump words things and tweets things, but if it were just worded better, don’t you agree some places in our country need attention? I’ve said my entire adult life that I think being poor shouldn’t mean a person lives unsafely, and I wish we didn’t have poor people to begin with.

Did you follow the link in my previous post? Like all major cities, Atlanta has problems with inner cities, but it has had a very good growth rate and its crime rate has been declining. Lewis can’t be doing too bad a job.

In any case, this should not be a referendum on Lewis’s district, that’s how Trump changes the conversation. He said that Lewis was all talk and no action in seeming willful ignorance of the fact that Lewis led and was beaten in the Selma marches. Just as he shot down McCain for being a war prisoner.

Trump’s withdrawal has nothing to do with cowardice. His handlers are now faced with the prospect of thousands of protesters at each and every public appearance of the Donald outside the hinterlands.

@LostInParadise You apparently missed one important fact that supports Trump’s allegations. From your link…

“Atlanta had the 14th-highest violent crime rate in 2015 with 1,120 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. That’s about triple the national average: 372.6 offenses per 100,000.”

@janbb I agree with that.

Trump really needs to learn to not retaliate. The tit for tat is ridiculous with him. It will get him in trouble. All of us in trouble.

@LostInParadise Yes, I did. I can tell those who like Trump will hear it all differently, even if it’s untrue or unfair. It would probably be better to just ignore all the Lewis and Trump banter and not give them media coverage. If Trump does something that will actively truly harm people I’m all in support of people opposing him, even if it comes to it calling for an impeachment. But, this crap just feeds Trump’s ego the Democrats just sing to their own choir, and the republicans who voted for him don’t care that his district is doing ok relative to the state and nation, they just see the things they worry about, are fed up with, and the heat what they perceive they hear.

@cruiser, now you are playing games with statistics. the 5th district is but a small part of the Atlanta metro area.

@Cruiser , The highest crime rates are going to be in inner cities. How many of them are there? 14th out of what, say 20 major cities, is not too bad, and the crime rate has been declining. Atlanta is no Detroit.

John Lewis addressed Russian efforts to help get Trump elected.

But Trump and his voters (see above) don’t see a black man as an American who can be concerned about such things.

The responses head straight to “ghetto” “inner cities” “flames” “crime”, “violence” and the the assumption that Rep. Lewis speaks only to black people and anything he says is a threat of violence.

It’s like the debate when a guy asked Trump a question, and Trump launched into a rant about “inner cities”. The guy didn’t ask about cities. Or African Americans. He happened to be black.

Trump didn’t see an American there. He didn’t see a citizen with concerns for domestic and foreign policy. He saw “black” and in his mind (and those of his voters, see above) black = “crime”, “violence”, “flames” and “inner cities”.

@elbanditoroso From the maps I see of the 5th district it covers all of Atlanta and a bit more so any crime statics of Atlanta is entirely reflective of what is going on in the 5th District.

A chilling report from the 5th District.

@Call_Me_Jay You can thank me later

There is no proof, his actions are results of cowardice. he may have had a conflict in scheduling. We can’t know for sure.