More Dems plan to skip Trump’s State of the Union

The number of House Democrats announcing their plans to skip President Trump’s State of the Union address grew to four on Monday.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who didn’t attend Trump’s address to Congress last year, said he won’t be going on Tuesday night either.

{mosads}”The thought of spending Tuesday night in the House Chamber listening to the reckless, self-centered man who occupies the White House holds no interest for me. Just like in past years, I plan to skip a speech that will be filled with lies, deception and divisiveness,” Blumenauer said in a statement.

Blumenauer invited the executive director of the World Central Kitchen, Nate Mook, to attend as his guest even though he won’t be there. World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, has recently provided meals to hurricane victims and federal workers furloughed during the recent partial government shutdown.

“The amount of damage, division and confusion Trump has inflicted on the American people over the last six weeks has been a blemish on the new Congress and I refuse to be witness to his continued antics,” Blumenauer said.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who has previously called for President Trump’s impeachment, also says he will again boycott the State of the Union address this year.

“I will not attend the State of the Union once again this year. I’ll come to the House Chamber for the State of the Union the next time I can hear from a president who will tell the truth about the State of the Union,” Cohen said in a statement to The Hill.

Georgia Democratic Reps. John Lewis and Hank Johnson also said last week that they will not attend.

“I have a problem with defiling the speaker’s chair in the House of Representatives,” Johnson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I don’t want to see it lowered, as is what happens when Donald Trump comes to our floor and starts talking about groups of people, particularly Latinos, and disparaging them as a people.” 

“I’d rather be somewhere else,” Johnson added. 

Fourteen House Democrats boycotted Trump’s State of the Union last year. Lewis, a civil rights icon, Blumenauer and Cohen were among the lawmakers who opted against going to the speech in 2018.

Updated at 1:53 p.m.