- President Donald Trump has yet to comment on the death of Rep. John Lewis, despite being active on social media when the news was announced.
- Lewis, a civil rights icon, died at age 80 on Friday, seven months after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
- Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden also has not released a statement yet.
- The Georgia congressman did not attend Trump’s inauguration in 2016 and previously openly criticized him.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
As hundreds flocked to social media to mourn the death of the civil rights icon, Rep. John Lewis, on Friday, President Donald Trump was silent.
The president was still active on social media, he retweeted a Twitter post two hours after the announcement of Lewis’s passing, praising conservative political commentator Tammy Bruce who had been the guest host on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show.
Lewis, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1987, died at the age of 80 on Friday night, seven months after he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2020
The news of his death prompted activists, lawmakers, journalists, and other prominent figures to express their condolences and pay tribute to the civil rights champion, who was the last surviving speaker of the March on Washington in 1963 and one of the original Freedom Riders. .
“He loved this country so much that he risked his life and blood so that he could fulfill his promise,” wrote former President Barack Obama in his statement. “And through the decades, he not only gave himself entirely to the cause of freedom and justice, but he inspired the generations that followed to try to follow his example.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also said in a statement that “Lewis’s kindness, faith, and courage transformed our nation.”
“The memory of John Lewis moves us all, in the face of injustice, to do ‘good problems, necessary problems’. May it be a consolation for his son John-Miles and all his family that so many mourn his loss in this sad moment”, wrote.
“John Lewis was an American treasure,” wrote Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of Martin Luther King, Jr. “He gave voice to the voiceless and reminded each of us that the most powerful nonviolent tool is the vote. Our hearts feel empty without our friend, but we find comfort in knowing that he is finally free. “
Presumed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has yet to make a statement.
Lewis and President Trump had a bitter relationship. The civil rights activist did not attend the president’s inaugurations in 2016, after telling NBC News that he was boycotting the event due to evidence of Russian meddling in the elections. Lewis previously only boycotted the inauguration of George W Bush in 2001.
In 2017, Trump attacked the Georgia congressman on Twitter, accusing him of “falsely complaining about the election results.”
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention infested crime) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. Everyone is talking, talking , they speak, no action or results “Sorry!” he wrote in a threaded tweet.
Lewis responded by tweeting: “Today, Donald Trump attacked me on Twitter. He said ‘I speak everything’ and ‘I do not act.'” I have been beaten with blood, with tear gas, fighting for what is right for the United States. I have gone to Selma with Dr. King. Sometimes that is what it takes to move our country in the right direction. “
The congressman learned of his cancer diagnosis in December 2019 during a routine medical visit that month.
“He was an unconditional champion in the ongoing struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to nonviolent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the fight for equal justice in the United States.” . He will be deeply missed, “the Lewis family wrote in a statement, according to CNN.
