Yesterday, the United States paid tribute to one of the most important and impactful civil rights icons in our nation’s history. Cities across the U.S. organized events in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bruce Springsteen shared a video of him performing “We Shall Overcome,” a popular anthem of the civil rights movement that King did so much to bring to everyone’s attention. Pop singer Kelly Clarkson performed a cover of U2’s Pride (In the Name of Love), a powerful ballad written in part by frontman Bono about King’s work. And President Joe Biden spent the day volunteering in Philadelphia with food bank Philabundance.
What did Donald Trump do today? All we can say for sure is that he spent plenty of time on Truth Social, writing and sharing posts, most of which were about himself and none of which even mentioned Dr. King.
Given Trump’s history of racism and his disregard for civil rights, that’s hardly surprising. But what we’ve seen from him and Biden on this day has become something of a trend. An NBC News headline from January 21, 2021 stated “On MLK Day, Biden volunteers, Trump issues divisive report on slavery and civil rights.”
Of course, Trump isn’t the only Republican to ignore this important day and pay no attention to all that Dr. King stood for. Many other popular GOP figures failed to post about it yesterday or issue any statement.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) didn’t comment on MLK Day 2024. However, she posted on X (formerly Twitter) about the need to stop the “treasonous Senate amnesty deal,” shared an anti-vaccine conspiracy theory and described Ukraine’s battle against Russia’s invasion as a “useless proxy war.”
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) also had nothing to say about Dr. King or anything related to him. He spent the day posting almost exclusively about the Iowa Caucus and sharing photos of himself with Trump supporters and campaign volunteers.
- Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), a congressman who is currently running to be North Carolina’s next Attorney General, issued no statements on Dr. King yesterday. His most recent post on X, from January 14, announced his endorsement of Trump.
- Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), an Arizona congressman with a history of racist statements also posted nothing about Dr. King. He hasn’t posted since January 14 when he shared a thread from far-right Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) laced with misinformation about immigration.
- 2024 Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was extremely active on X today, hyping up the Iowa Caucus, complaining about the media not taking him seriously and touting his lists of “truths,” almost all of which are simply opinions. He didn’t once mention Dr. King.
- Fellow Republican challenger and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also posted exclusively about the Iowa Caucus, not taking even a moment to mention about Dr. King, though she shared several posts from followers.
President Biden did share a post about Dr. King’s work, as did Vice President Kamala Harris, who shared some inspiring words from his wife, Coretta Scott King. Even independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. produced a video on his family’s work with Dr. King during his lifetime.
There’s an important lesson in what we saw from both parties yesterday. Republican politicians proved they don’t care about the work of one of the most important and impactful figures of the civil rights movement. Of course, it makes sense that they wouldn’t respect him. King fought for racial justice, equal rights and better opportunities for everyone, all things that the Trump wing of the GOP is fighting to suppress.
Before the next election, ask yourself — do I really want to vote for someone who doesn’t believe in the work of Dr. King? Someone who doesn’t even care enough to acknowledge him on his day? Or do I want to elect a leader who believes in moving this country forward and shares Dr. King’s vision for a truly free and just country?