Some Minnesota Democrats are planning to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump, but others plan to sit it out or are still weighing whether to attend.
Will Minnesota Democrats attend Trump’s inauguration?
At least one will not attend, another leads the inaugural committee and some are still on the fence. Minnesota’s GOP members will be there.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 17, 2024 at 4:11AM
Trump’s inauguration will coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, a fierce critic of Trump, told Axios she plans to attend MLK events that day instead. “Why risk any chaos that might be up here?” the Minnesota Democrat said.
Omar won’t be the only Democrat ditching Trump’s inauguration. Axios reports that more than a dozen other congressional Democrats will not go.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who chairs the bipartisan Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, plans to attend Trump’s inauguration. The committee she leads is responsible for planning the event, working on everything from picking the inaugural theme to choosing who gets a speaker slot on inauguration day.
“I have been working for nearly a year with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the Senate and the House on the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. I took on this position knowing no matter which candidate wins, we must have a peaceful transition of power,” Klobuchar said in a statement to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Rep. Angie Craig’s office confirmed she plans to attend Trump’s inauguration, as does incoming Rep. Kelly Morrison.
Sen. Tina Smith’s office said the senator is still finalizing her schedule and does not yet know if she will attend.
Rep. Betty McCollum is also still weighing whether to attend, but it’s looking highly unlikely she will go.
“The Presidential inauguration will take place on MLK Day, which is a day I’ve always spent at community gatherings,” McCollum said in a statement. “My time would be better spent with my constituents rather than traveling back and forth between Minnesota and Washington to attend the inauguration for just a few hours.”
Minnesota’s four Republican members of Congress backed Trump’s 2024 White House bid and all four plan to attend.
TikTok said it will have to ''go dark'' this weekend unless the outgoing Biden administration assures the company it won't enforce a shutdown of the popular app after the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning the app unless it's sold by its China-based parent company.
