Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) rejects his colleague John Lewis' (D-GA) assertion that Donald Trump is not a legitimate president. Lewis led the inauguration boycott last month that left about 70 seats empty at his swearing in ceremony.
Cummings has repeatedly suggested that is the wrong attitude - not to mention unproductive.
“I think we have to work with him," Cummings said on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "I’ve got people who -- you know, I keep telling people, this is our president. He’s going to be our president for the next four years. I’ve got people in my community who are suffering from cancer. They need treatment. I’ve got people who need jobs, and I’ve got to work with this president, but at the same time, there’s nobody that has been tougher on this president than I have been,” Cummings said.
When asked at his press conference last week if he plans to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss matters important to the African-American community, Trump insisted he'd be happy to, but Rep. Cummings had not returned any of his calls. Cummings rejected that claim, yet said he too would be glad to schedule a meeting. Trump and the CBC are expected to sit down and chat next week.
Trump has indicated many times that his ear is open to the needs of the African-American community. He has offered key White House positions to African-Americans, including Ben Carson for HUD secretary and Omarosa Manigault to help with public engagement. He met with several African-American leaders to recognize Black History Month early in February and, most recently, he spent his Tuesday morning at The National Museum of African American History and Culture.