Trump: 'Can't Say One Way Or The Other' That Lewis Was Impressive

GEORGIA — President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired nationally Monday that he “can’t say one way or the other” whether he thought John Lewis was impressive.

Instead, Trump repeatedly pointed out that Lewis — the civil rights icon and U.S. representative from Georgia who died July 17 — hadn’t attended Trump’s inauguration.

"I find a lot of people impressive,” Trump told Axios correspondent Jonathan Swann. “I find many people not impressive. He didn't come … he didn't come to my inauguration. He didn't come to my State of the Union speeches. And that's OK. That's his right."

Then Trump added, “He should’ve come. I think he made a big mistake.”

While leaders of both political parties praised Lewis upon his passing, Trump declined to pay respects to him while his body lay in state in the U.S. Capitol.

Two U.S. congressmen from Georgia — Republican Tom Graves and Democrat Sanford Bishop — are spearheading an effort to replace a statue of Alexander H. Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, with a statue of Lewis in the U.S. Capitol.

"(Lewis) was a person that devoted a lot of energy and a lot of heart to civil rights, but there were many others also,” Trump said when pressed.

Trump’s interview with Axios aired Monday on HBO. It was recorded July 28.