U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends a news conference in New York, the United States, on Jan. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Gary Hershorn)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- About two dozen U.S. Democratic lawmakers have now said they will break with tradition by skipping U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's Friday inauguration in protest.
A count by CBS News put the number of Democrat congressmen who have announced the boycott to at least 24, while the New York Daily News reported that the number already reached 26, at least five of them from New York.
House Representative Jerry Nadler from New York, joined the boycott plan on Monday.
"I cannot go because of the president-elect's inflammatory comments, his racist campaign, his conflicts of interest, his refusal to disclose his taxes," Nadler said on CNN's "New Day."
Over the weekend, Wisconsin Representative Mark Pocan announced his plan on social media, attacking Trump for "Twitter addiction."
"Given the tone of the campaign, Rep. Velazquez didn't think it appropriate to attend the inauguration and made that decision weeks ago," the congresswoman's office told the Daily News Sunday. "She will spend her time elsewhere on events like the Women's March."
The feud between Democrats and Trump has been fuelled by Trump's recent clash with Democratic lawmaker John Lewis, a well-known icon of the civil rights movement across the United States.
Lewis said in an interview Friday that he does not consider Trump a "legitimate president" because of Russian interference in the election and will not attend the inauguration.
Trump fired back on Twitter over the weekend, saying Lewis should "spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart." He then added that the Georgia Democrat is "all talk, talk, talk."
Vice President-elect Mike Pence on Sunday rushed to defend Trump, calling Lewis' comments questioning Trump's presidency "deeply disappointing."
"Donald Trump won this election fair and square," Pence told "Fox News Sunday." "Donald Trump has the right to defend himself."
Nadler said Monday that he agrees with Lewis that Trump,"although legally elected, is not legitimate."
