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US-TRUMP-POLITICS-LEWIS
Trump avoids praising deceased civil rights hero John Lewis
WASHINGTON, Aug 4, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump said
he doesn’t know how history will remember civil rights activist John
Lewis, but that “he chose not to come to my inauguration,” in an
interview with US media.
A longtime Democratic congressman, Lewis died on July 17, then
received rare honors in Washington and was praised by key figures of
both major parties for his life-long fight for equality.
“How do you think history will remember John Lewis?” Jonathan Swan
of the Axios media outlet asked Trump in the interview aired on
Monday.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” the president answered.
“I don’t know John Lewis, he chose not to come to my inauguration.”
Lewis clashed with Trump on multiple occasions — as well as
boycotting his swearing-in ceremony, Lewis cited Russian interference
in the 2016 election to question his legitimacy and warned US
democracy was under threat.
In the interview, which was recorded last week, Swan rephrased the
question: “Do you find him impressive?”
“I can’t say one way or the other. I find a lot of people
impressive, I find a lot of people not impressive.”
“He didn’t come to my inauguration, he didn’t come to my State of
the Union speeches — and that’s ok, that’s his right.”
His comments come after the death of George Floyd triggered
nationwide protests and a national debate on race, which has received
added impetus in the run-up to November’s presidential election.
Trump said in the interview that “no one has done more for black
Americans than I have.”
Swan asked again: “Taking your relationship with him out of it, do
you find his story impressive, what he’s done for this country?
“He was a person that devoted a lot of energy and a lot of heart to
civil rights, but there were many others also,” Trump said.
BSS/AFP/MRU/1826hrs