Rep. Earl Blumenauer Will Snub the Trump Inauguration—And Instead Attend the Women's March on Portland

Sen. Ron Wyden will attend Women's March in D.C.

Anti-Trump march on Nov. 9, 2016. (Joe Riedl)
By Rachel Monahan

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D.-Portland) has said for a week he won't attend the Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.

Today, Blumenauer tells WW he's made other plans: He will join the Women's March on Portland, an anti-Trump rally parading through this city's downtown on Saturday, Jan. 21.

The congressman is one of at least seven Democrats in Congress who plan to boycott the inauguration ceremonies.

After Blumenauer announced his boycott on Jan. 7 on his Facebook page, supporters reacted by inviting him to attend the Women's March on Portland.

“On Inauguration Day, he plans to watch the inauguration on TV with constituents who have written to him with their concerns about Donald Trump, followed by meetings with folks who have invited him to come and discuss how we move forward,” spokeswoman Nicole L’Esperance tells WW. “And, on Saturday, January 21, he’ll be speaking at a New Leaders Council event, as well as planning to be at the Women’s March.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, who plans to attend the inauguration on Friday, plans to attend the Women's March in Washington, D.C., his spokesman Hank Stern says.

Blumenauer's decision to attend the Women's March on Portland comes after a fractious week of preparations for the rally.

The leadership of the march changed earlier this month to give a larger platform to women of color, following complaints that the original organizers tried to silence discussions of race.

The new organizers have pledged to change the event so "people feel welcome and know that they are safe here."

As WW reported earlier this week, the NAACP of Portland on Wednesday publicly withdrew its support for the Women's March on Portland, citing the original organizers' failure to welcome women of color, discussions of race and criticisms of Trump.

As many as 26,000 people are still expected to attend. And that number now includes a congressman.

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