NAACP not inviting Trump to convention, breaking 100+-year tradition

The NAACP said Monday it would not invite President Trump to its annual convention, breaking its 116-year tradition of inviting the sitting president.

The civil rights organization criticized Trump for a “fascist playbook” that it said pushes “radical” and “un-American” initiatives. It also is not inviting Vice President JD Vance to its convention.

“Our annual convention is meant to be a safe space for all people — regardless of political ideology — who believe in multiracial democracy and the ideal of building a more perfect union. To that end, the NAACP has made the decision to break with tradition and not invite Donald Trump or J.D. Vance this year,” the NAACP wrote in their statement. 

“This administration does not respect the Constitution or the rule of law. It would be a waste of our time and energy to give a platform to fascism, which would be unacceptable," they added. 

Former presidents Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have attended past conventions. Former President Biden attended last year's event.

"The NAACP isn't advancing anything but hate and division, while the President is focused on uniting our country, improving our economy, securing our borders, and establishing peace across the globe," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to The Hill.

"This is the same vision for America that a record number of Black Americans supported in the resounding reelection of President Trump. The Democrats have sold out Black voters to appease their base, which consists of the pronoun police, purple-haired lunatics, and radical anti-Semites,” he added.

The NAACP cited a series of executive orders that “undo” federal civil rights protections in making its decision to not invite Trump.

In January, the president signed an executive order outlawing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from the federal government describing the practice as “illegal” and “immoral.”

A day later, Trump signed a separate executive order intended to end illegal discrimination and promote merit-based opportunities.

“These illegal DEI and DEIA [diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility] policies also threaten the safety of American men, women, and children across the Nation by diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination when selecting people for jobs and services in key sectors of American society, including all levels of government, and the medical, aviation, and law-enforcement communities,” Trump wrote in the order.  

“Yet in case after tragic case, the American people have witnessed first-hand the disastrous consequences of illegal, pernicious discrimination that has prioritized how people were born instead of what they were capable of doing.”