After Rep. John Lewis told "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd that he didn't consider Donald Trump a "legitimate president," the billionaire real estate mogul went on a multiple-tweet rant against the civil rights icon. Lewis decided to respond to Trump's attack on Twitter, and referenced his time with Martin Luther King Jr. in the process.

Lewis on Trump

After weeks of speculation and reports that confirm Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee with the goal of electing Donald Trump, many Democrats are pushing back at the election of the former host of "The Apprentice." John Lewis sat down for a pre-tapped interview with "Meet the Press," where the congressman announced he would not attend Trump's inauguration, which prompted the president-elect to go on the attack.

As reported by Mediaite on January 15, Lewis has responded.

While John Lewis spoke about Donald Trump on "Meet the Press," the interview took place before the president-elect's Twitter outrage. In his first response to the attacks against him, Lewis addressed the issue in a fundraising email that was sent out on Saturday night.

"Today Donald Trump attacked me on Twitter," John Lewis wrote, while adding, "He said that I'm 'all talk' and 'no action." "I've been beaten bloody, tear-gassed, fighting for what's right for America," Lewis goes on to explain, before citing his time protesting and marching with Martin Luther King Jr.

"I've marched at Selma with Dr. King. Sometimes that's what it takes to move our country in the right direction," the congressman noted.

(Portion of Lewis on "Meet the Press.)

Moving forward

While Donald Trump showed no signs of backing down in his criticism of John Lewis, who he suggested should spend more time tending to his "burning" district, backlash quickly followed.

In addition to Democrats and more liberal Americans, Republicans like former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, and founder of "The Weekly Standard" Bill Kristol were critical of Trump's comments. Following the outrage, Trump has decided that he will no longer attend a civil rights museum on Martin Luther King Day this Monday, but despite the push back, the president-elect is only five days away from being sworn in as the next commander in chief.
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