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Members of Washington Congressional Delegation Vow To Fight Trump

On the day the Electoral College met and officially voted for Donald Trump, some members of Washington’s congressional delegation were vowing to oppose the President-elect Donald Trump once he’s in the White House. At an event in Seattle to declare Washington a "hate-free state," Congressman Adam Smith, a Democrat from Tacoma, told the crowd of progressive activists that while Donald Trump did win the electoral vote, Smith remains troubled by what he says was a campaign built on racism and bigotry.

“Now, I know a lot of people after the election said, 'Well, he’s the elected President, we need to figure out where we can work with him,'" said Congressman Smith.

But Smith received cheers when he said he just couldn't do that.

Smith said it’s important to stand up against hate crimes and the specifics of Trump’s proposals which could harm immigrants or Muslims, but he also says progressives need to display tolerance in return.

“When we embrace tolerance, embrace diversity, part of that is recognizing that not everyone who voted for Trump is a bad person or a racist, and it's important to reach out to them,” Smith said.

The event, which included Governor Jay Inslee and Seattle elected officials, was organized by Congresswoman-elect Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Seattle. She said declaring Washington a hate-free state is similar to what happened following 9-11. At that time, Jayapal helped put together a coalition to counter discrimination against Muslims and Arab-Americans.

As King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray spoke about the importance of resisting Donald Trump's actions and fighting hate crimes and speech, they were shouted down by protesters upset over the pending building of a new youth detention center in Seattle. 

They chanted and held signs that said, "Hate Free Means No New Jail,"

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.