‘We Will Rise Up’: Al Sharpton Announces Plans To Disrupt President Trump’s Inauguration

Al Sharpton has a reputation as a civil rights leader among his supporters and as a race-baiting charlatan among his critics, but there’s no debate when it comes to his disdain for President Donald Trump.

He recently announced a demonstration being organized near Trump’s inauguration next month, which happens to be on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Even in his announcement, Sharpton couldn’t resist taking a cheap shot at Trump, as Newsmax pointed out:

But Sharpton was quickly critical about the color of Trump’s Cabinet members’ skin in November.

“In the two weeks since Donald Trump was elected to a second term, he has put forth a dozen troubling nominees, yet the most alarming factor in his proposed Cabinet is that not a single candidate is Black,” Sharpton said then. “Trump spent this campaign selling himself to Black voters, especially men, by peddling sneakers and implying his criminal convictions would resonate with our community.”

Days after Sharpton’s statement, though, Trump announced former NFL player Scott Turner to be his secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Turner was executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the first Trump administration.

Also, Kash Patel, an Indian-American was announced Nov. 30 as his pick to be the next FBI director.

Sharpton’s National Action Network also addressed the planned rally in a statement:

“On Martin Luther King Day 2025, as Donald Trump is sworn in, we won’t stand still,” the statement reads. “We will rise up, honor and defend Dr. King’s dream by marching for justice, equality and change.”

The news has already started attracting social media attention:

We are looking forward to going to Trump’s inauguration, we will get to witness a great in American history.

Then along comes race hustle Al Sharpton to stir things up. pic.twitter.com/9unCz5XUpZ

— Dr. Thom, Ph.D., CPA 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@TAG2335) December 22, 2024

Al Sharpton is as far removed from MLK as one can be ! Why then is he having a protest on Inauguration Day? Sharpton is a man without ethics, morals or character, characteristics that MLK had in abundance!

— Thomas Prendergast (@ThomasP37241265) December 22, 2024

Y’all going to Al Sharpton’s DNC Plantation rally on January 20th? Lol pic.twitter.com/qEFbrkY7l9

— Woodz 🇺🇸 (@Nibiru1000) December 4, 2024

Sharpton has been teasing such an event in the weeks since Election Day, as The Hill reported last month:

Sharpton announced the rally on his MSNBC show, “Politics Nation with Al Sharpton,” on Tuesday. The rally and Trump’s inauguration coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“While Trump supporters will be on one side of Washington watching him take the oath of office, I will be at the nation’s capital working to keep the dream alive,” Sharpton said. “There has never been a more important time to peacefully organize and mobilize.”

Sharpton emphasized that the rally will be nonviolent, “unlike the 2021 insurrection.”

Here’s a clip from that segment of Sharpton’s MSNBC show:

We at National Action Network have announced a rally on 1/20 #InaugurationDay aligning with #MLKDay to keep Dr. King’s dream alive amidst a changing political landscape.

While Trump supporters gather on one side, the National Action Network and many more will be on the other… pic.twitter.com/088lltcJ7W

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) November 12, 2024