MIAMI – Amid a war of words with President-elect Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., appeared at a Miami breakfast Monday but refused to speak to reporters about his recent comments.
The civil rights icon was a keynote speaker for the 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship breakfast at Jungle Island, hosted by the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.
His appearance took place days after he announced that he won't attend Friday's inauguration in Washington.
Lewis, along with 22 other Democratic members, is boycotting Trump's inauguration because he does not see the president-elect as a "legitimate president."
Trump took to Twitter to bash Lewis, calling the congressman "all talk and no action." He also criticized Lewis' district as "falling apart and crime-infested."
Lewis marched alongside King during the civil rights movement. He was also severely beaten by police in Selma, Alabama, during a voting rights march in 1965.
Although Lewis didn't address his war of words with Trump, he did speak about his days with King, telling the crowd that Americans must unify for the sake of the nation, regardless of race, creed or ethnicity.
"We are one people. We are one family," Lewis said. "We all live in the same house -- the American house --and we must look out for each other."
Lewis left immediately after his speech without speaking to the media.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio-R, Fla., also appeared at the breakfast. Rubio said he didn't agree with Lewis' assessment that Trump isn't "legitimate," but also disagreed with Trump's remarks about Lewis.