NAACP leadership has drawn a line in the sand: For the first time in its 116-year existence, the civil rights group is declining to extend an invitation for a sitting president to speak at its national convention. The guy who didn't make the guest list? President Donald Trump.
The announcement was made by the NAACP, which alleges that Trump's policies, actions, and rhetoric are antithetical to the organization's values of civil rights, democracy, and respect for all. The snub wasn't exclusive to Trump Vice President JD Vance, who also wasn't on the list.
Donald Trump is assaulting our democracy and our voting rights," said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO. "He's more of a believer in the fascist playbook than the U.S. Constitution." This playbook is radical and un-American."
Johnson cited what he called a "pattern of unconstitutional executive orders" that has sought to suppress voters and eviscerate civil rights protections, as well as Trump's deployment of military force against American communities and his continued subversion of democratic norms for his gain.
That's quite a breach of tradition for the NAACP, which has invited the highest office in the land, no matter who occupies it, to bend down and listen to the NAACP's polite requests for over a century. Former presidents from both parties, including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and even Ronald Reagan, have appeared at the convention, sometimes in tandem with the group's mission, sometimes in tension with it, but always there.
The convention is a place for people who believe in multiracial democracy and constitutional rights,” "Johnson said. “We will not bend those principles for political custom.” The White House responded in kind, saying the action was divisive. Officials said in a statement that President Trump" committed to uniting the country and delivering results for the American people that prioritize the economic success of the American worker.” However, that unity seems more elusive when the nation's oldest civil rights organization tells you you're no longer welcome at the table.
Las Vegas, a city of glitzy lights and big statements, will be the site of the 2025 NAACP National Convention. The NANAACP's message, if not the president's, will already reverberate nationwide when Trump doesn't appear at the convention.
Whether this action will further deepen political divisions or lead to more serious discussions about leadership and accountability remains to be seen. However, the NAACP rewrote its rules, and the nation is watching.
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