With just a week remaining until Donald Trump is sworn in as the next President of the United States, backlash continues to grow against him. After Democratic Rep. John Lewis spoke out against Trump, the president-elect fired back, but his response has not been well-received.
Trump trouble
In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that will air in full this Sunday, civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis was critical of Donald Trump, refusing to acknowledge him as a "legitimate president" due to the controversy surrounding Russia's involvement of the election.
On Saturday morning, Trump responded on Twitter, accusing Lewis of being "all talk" and "sad," while suggesting that he tend to his "crime invested" district. In the hours since Trump's Twitter tirade, Democratic politicians, celebrities, and many more came to Lewis' defense. In a more surprising turn of events, some Republicans have decided to speak out against Trump, as reported by The Hill and MSNBC on January 14.
Fmr. RNC Chair @MichaelSteele on Trump's John Lewis hit: "Number 1: Don't tweet that. Number 2: Don't go there." https://t.co/MrS6FZMn3Z
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 14, 2017
The first Republican to make headlines in speaking up for John Lewis was Sen. Ben Sasse. "John Lewis and his 'talk' have changed the world," Sasse wrote on Twitter.
In addition, Sasse linked to a 2015 article by ABC News that focused on the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," a civil rights march from Selma-to-Montgomery. Lewis took part in the march, and could be seen in the feature photo in the article.
GOP senator shreds Trump: John Lewis changed the worldhttps://t.co/KCkC2oVKAc pic.twitter.com/J2b1ZTsr7f
— The Hill (@thehill) January 14, 2017
Also criticizing Donald Trump for his comments about John Lewis was Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.
"Number one, don't tweet that. Number two, don't go there. And number three, step back and try to appreciate what's being said and what the concern is," Steele said during an interview on MSNBC. "John Lewis has a walk that very few people in this country, least of all Donald Trump, have ever walked," Steele went on to point out.
John Lewis and his "talk" have changed the world.https://t.co/qeUloAkeTx https://t.co/aH2vDLjKk9
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) January 14, 2017
Backlash continues
Not stopping there, Bill Kristol, the founder of the conservative magazine "The Weekly Standard," took to Twitter to hit back at the former host of "The Apprentice." "It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis," Kristol wrote.
It's telling, I'm afraid, that Donald Trump treats Vladimir Putin with more respect than he does John Lewis.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) January 14, 2017
Despite the negative reaction, it's unlikely that Trump will offer any apology to Lewis with his inauguration taking place on January 20. While Trump gets ready to celebrate, many share Lewis' beliefs and will protest the ceremony next week.