As part of his observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Monday with Martin Luther King III to discuss the late civil rights leaders’ legacy.
The meeting at Trump Tower in New York was announced in a tweet by incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
“Today we observe the birthday of #MartinLutherKing - @realDonaldTrump will meet with Martin Luther King III to discuss his legacy #MLKDAY,” it read.
The president-elect came under fire from Democrats over the weekend for feuding on Twitter with civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis over the Georgia Democrat saying Mr. Trump would be an “illegitimate president” and that he would join a boycott of the inauguration.
Mr. Trump later canceled a visit scheduled for Monday to the National African American Museum. He cited scheduling conflicts but Democratic critics said it was due to blowback from his clash with Mr. Lewis.
In a forceful response to Mr. Lewis’ remarks Saturday, Mr. Trump fired off a series of tweets saying the congressman should focus on problems in his Atlanta district. He tweeted: “All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!”
Mr. Trump later tweeted: “Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S. I can use all the help I can get!”
His characterization of Mr. Lewis, who led the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama, and his description of Atlanta prompted some Democrats, including prominent black lawmakers such as Sen. Cory A. Booker of New Jersey, to accuse Mr. Trump of being racial insensitive.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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