For the first time in its 116-year history, the NAACP will not invite a sitting U.S. president to its national convention. The civil rights organization announced Monday that President Donald Trump has been excluded from its upcoming convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, set to take place next month.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson made the announcement during a press conference, citing the Trump administration’s actions as being directly at odds with the group’s mission to advance civil rights.
“This has nothing to do with political party,” Johnson stated. “Our mission is to advance civil rights, and the current president has made clear that his mission is to eliminate civil rights.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In recent months, the NAACP has filed several lawsuits against the Trump administration. One such suit, filed in April, challenged the Department of Education’s policy to cut federal funding from schools that refused to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs—programs the NAACP argues are crucial for ensuring equal educational opportunities for Black students.
The NAACP emphasized that it has a long history of inviting presidents from both major parties, even those with whom it disagreed on key issues. President Harry Truman, a Democrat, was the first to attend the convention in 1947. Republican President Ronald Reagan spoke at the NAACP’s 1981 convention in Denver, despite prior criticism over racially charged language used during his campaign.
President George W. Bush also addressed the organization in 2006, after facing significant backlash over his administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina, which disproportionately impacted Black communities in the Gulf Coast.
“The decision to not invite President Trump was not made lightly,” NAACP officials said in a statement. “But his repeated actions and policies have demonstrated a clear opposition to the civil rights principles we stand for.”
