For years, Democrats have made a spectacle of their disdain for President Trump at every opportunity, so it should come as no surprise that once again, Democrats are planning to boycott his inauguration. The same thing happened in 2017, when they skipped Trump’s inauguration because they claimed he’d stolen the election with the help of Russia. Now, after Trump won a landslide electoral college victory as well as the national popular vote, Democrats are once again coming up with excuses to skip the event.
According to a report from Axios, more than a dozen congressional Democrats have announced that they’re going to skip the event, citing reasons ranging from “safety concerns” to personal principles—which is hilarious coming from any Democrat. This shameful display of partisanship not only highlights the left’s inability to respect democratic processes, but also exposes its penchant for theatrics over governance.
Many Democrats justified their boycott by invoking the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, despite the fact that Trump had nothing to do with it and had called on his supporters to protest peacefully. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the J6 committee, referenced Trump’s “rhetoric” against him as his rationale.
Whatever, he won’t be missed.
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) claimed her decision stemmed from “concerns” about her “safety” as a Latina—weird she didn’t use Latinx—citing Trump supporters’ presence at the event. Gimme a break.
This fearmongering doesn’t just insult millions of peaceful Trump voters; it reinforces the Democratic strategy of smearing political opponents as inherently racist.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) conveniently chose Martin Luther King Jr. Day events as her reason to avoid the inauguration. Something tells me that if Kamala Harris had won (God forbid), Omar would have found the time to attend the inauguration.
Again, she won’t be missed. Frankly, I’d rather she and her brother not attend.
According to Axios’s count, of the Democrats they contacted who responded, 13 are boycotting the 2025 inauguration, 20 are undecided, and 44 are attending. At least 55 Democrats boycotted Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
You’re probably thinking that after Democrats made such a big deal about the peaceful transfer of power, respecting democracy, and all that stuff, they should be making a point to attend the inauguration. Some actually are. According to Axios, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), sees attending as a chance to restore faith in institutions. But it’s clear the party’s loudest voices have no interest in reconciliation or unity, only in deepening divides. When figures such as Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) claim they’re skipping due to “lingering trauma” from Jan. 6, it’s hard not to see this as yet another excuse to perpetuate the left’s victimhood narrative.
The bottom line here is that any Democrat’s decision to boycott Trump’s inauguration isn’t about principles—it’s about partisan pettiness. Their obsession with vilifying Trump has blinded them to the importance of setting an example for the country. Americans expect their leaders to rise above partisanship, not wallow in it.
