- Lehigh University and Wagner College announced on Friday that they would revoke the honorary titles of President Donald Trump.
- Trump received Lehigh’s honorary title in 1988 after speaking at the institution’s graduation ceremony. He received a Wagner diploma in 2004.
- Both Lehigh and Wagner cited the violence caused by the attempted coup on the United States Capitol on Wednesday as grounds for revocation.
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Two educational institutions have announced that they are revoking their honorary titles given to President Donald Trump due to disturbances in the Capitol building on Wednesday.
Lehigh University and Wagner College announced the revocation on Friday.
Board of Trustees “voted to terminate and revoke the honorary degree granted to Donald J. Trump in 1988,” says a statement from Lehigh University on Twitter.
—Lehigh University (@LehighU) January 8, 2021
Lehigh faculty members have for years urged the university to terminate the Trump diploma, which he received when speaking at his 1988 graduation ceremony. In 2018, nearly 300 Lehigh faculty members asked the board of trustees to terminate the diploma. They argued that Trump’s statements and actions as president were not in line with the school’s values, reported the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The curators did not move.
Wagner’s board of trustees also voted on Friday to terminate an honorary title he received from the institution in 2004, according to a statement published online.
The riot, which began after Trump encouraged his supporters to protest the election results, was characterized as a coup attempt. Protesters stormed the Capitol building as lawmakers gathered to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Five people, including a police officer, died. Members of the Proud Boys, which is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, would have been present.
Many lawmakers began to take shelter on the spot when they learned that the riot had started. Many evacuated the Capitol building. A quick-witted Senate aide secured the boxes containing the electoral votes, rescuing them from possible damage.
The vote to certify President-elect Joe Biden continued as planned hours after the riot ended.
The day after the riot, Trump said there would be “an orderly transition” on January 20, the day of the inauguration.
The riot sparked calls for Trump’s impeachment once again, this time on charges of “inciting an insurrection”. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell distributed a memo to Republicans saying that Trump cannot be logistically removed from office before the day of his inauguration.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.