The NAACP announced on Monday (June 16) that they wouldn’t be inviting Donald Trump or J.D. Vance to its national convention, marking the first time in the organization’s 116-year history that a sitting president (and vice president) wouldn’t be allowed to attend.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson announced this decision during a press conference, where the organization also accused Trump of working against its mission.
“For 116 years, the NAACP has invited the sitting president of the United States to address the NAACP National Convention — regardless of their political party,” Johnson noted. “There is a rich history of both Republicans and Democrats attending our convention — from Harry Truman to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and beyond. We’re nonpartisan and always welcome those who believe in democracy and the Constitution.”
However, their decision to not invite Trump “has nothing to do with political party.”
The official statement read, “Donald Trump is attacking our democracy and our civil rights. He believes more in the fascist playbook than in the U.S. Constitution. This playbook is radical and un-American. The president has signed unconstitutional executive orders to oppress voters and undo federal civil rights protections; he has illegally turned the military on our communities, and he continually undermines every pillar of our democracy to make himself more powerful and to personally benefit from the U.S. government.”
The NAACP prides itself on hosting a convention that’s a safe place for people to “map out our advocacy and mobilization strategies to advance civil rights and democracy for all.”
However, the choice to break tradition is because “this administration does not respect the Constitution or the rule of law. It would be a waste of our time and energy to give a platform to fascism, which would be unacceptable.”
The NAACP has filed multiple lawsuits against Trump in recent months. Back in April, they sued to prevent the Department of Education from withholding federal money for schools that didn’t end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
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