


Rep. Ayanna Pressley isn’t taking the Kamala Harris magnanimity route.
The Massachusetts Democrat and member of the far-left “Squad” said Tuesday that she will be boycotting the inauguration of Donald Trump as America’s 47th president on Jan. 20.
In a statement to the Boston Globe, Ms. Pressley said Mr. Trump would pursue “harmful and hateful” policies and it was her job to create “a future rooted in love.”
“I plan to spend the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in my district at community events that feed our collective soul and re-commit us to building a future rooted in love,” Ms. Pressley said.
“As we prepare to mitigate the most harmful and hateful policy decisions that will come from the Trump White House, I will be in the Massachusetts 7th to help organize and mobilize our collective power that honors Dr. King’s vision of justice and equity for everyone who calls Massachusetts and America home,” she added.
It’s a far cry from the promises by President Biden and Ms. Harris, despite having routinely called Mr. Trump a fascist and a threat to democracy, that there would be a peaceful and routine handover of power.
Ms. Harris, acting in the vice president’s role as Senate president, even presided over the counting of Electoral College votes in her defeat by Mr. Trump.
“One of the most important pillars of our democracy is that there will be a peaceful transfer of power, and today I did what I have done my entire career, which is take seriously the oath that I have taken many times to support and defend the constitution of the United States,” she said Monday after the count.
The coincidence that irked Ms. Pressley is something that would happen roughly once per 30 years.
Inauguration Day, unless it falls on a Sunday, is legally required to be on Jan. 20. In 2025, Jan. 20 also happens to be the third Monday of the month, which is the defined celebration for the Martin Luther King Day holiday.
The last presidential inauguration on a King Day holiday was Bill Clinton’s second term in 1997 and the next will be for whoever wins the 2052 election.
Ms. Pressley’s office told the Globe that she plans a weekend King Day event involving speakers and workshops for Boston’s Black community, but provided few details.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.