WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trumpbegan a long holiday weekend that honors slain black civilrights leader Martin Luther King Jr.by attacking another rightsactivist and politician who had said he doesn´t see Trump as a"legitimate president".
Democratic Representative John Lewis, of Georgia, said on asegment of "Meet the Press" released by NBC on Friday he thoughthacking by Russians had helped Trump, a Republican, get electedin November.
Lewis said he does not plan to attend Trump´s Jan.20 inauguration, the first time he would miss such an eventsince being elected to the House in 1986.
On Saturday Trump tweeted that Lewis had falsely complainedabout the election results and instead "should spend more timeon fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shapeand falling apart (not to mention crime infested).
""All talk, talk, talk - no action or results.Sad!" Trumptweeted.During the campaign, Trump said Democrats had failedAfrican-Americans and Hispanics.
"What the hell do you have tolose? Give me a chance," he said at a rally last year in Ohio.Trump won the presidency with less support from black andHispanic voters than any president in the last 40 years, only 8percent and 28 percent respectively, polling data showed.
Lewis, who has been a civil rights leader for more than halfa century, was beaten by police during a march he helped lead in1965 in Selma, Alabama, drawing attention to hurdles for blacksto vote.
He protested alongside King that day and on otheroccasions."I believe in forgiveness," Lewis said in the NBC segmentabout Trump.
"I believe in trying to work with people," he said."It´s going to be very difficult.I don´t see thispresident-elect as a legitimate president."At least 10 other Democratic U.S.politicians have also saidthey plan to skip the inauguration including RepresentativesRaul Grijalva, Lacy Clay and Mark Takano.
Supporters of Trump see him as a brash person who tellsthings as they are.His comments about Lewis came ahead of ananti-Trump march in Washington headed by the Rev.Al Sharpton.
The protest by about 2,000 marchers kicked off a week of ralliesplanned by dozens of groups against Trump before, during andafter the inauguration.