In the wake of Wednesday's violent attack on the U.S. Capitol incited by President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers who opposed the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory, a growing list of elected officials, leaders of civil society groups, and others have publicly called for swiftly impeaching the president or removing him from office by invoking the 25th Amendment.
After months of lying about voter fraud and claiming he won in November, Trump on Thursday conceded to Biden and said his "focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly, and seamless transition of power." He also claimed to be "outraged by the violence, lawlessness, and mayhem" at the Capitol without acknowledging his role.
Earlier Thursday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced articles of impeachment against Trump, calling him "the single greatest threat to our democracy." On Wednesday, after the pro-Trump mob took over the Capitol, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) announced that her first congressional resolution will "call for the expulsion of the Republican members of Congress who incited this domestic terror attack."
While Vice President Mike Pence—who oversaw the certification of Biden's win—reportedly opposes using the 25th Amendment to oust Trump, and the Democrat-controlled House has adjourned until Biden's January 20 inauguration, meaning an impeachment is not expected in the coming days, demands for the president's removal have continued to stack up. Here is a selection of those statements since Wednesday:
"Vice President Michael R. Pence with the Cabinet should immediately invoke the 25th Amendment to remove all presidential authority from Donald J. Trump. Congress should immediately move to impeach and convict Trump to hold him accountable and assure he will never hold another office of public trust again."
BoldProgressives.org
"Impeach Trump now and remove him from office!"
"We cannot risk another day of Trump in power. The vice president or Trump's cabinet must invoke the 25th Amendment, or Congress must impeach him and immediately remove him from the White House because he is not fit for office, poses a danger to our country, and is capable of creating even more desperate chaos in his remaining days in office. Trump has been inciting racial violence and emboldening white supremacists for his entire career, from calling for the death penalty for the Black teenagers wrongly convicted in the Central Park jogger case, to challenging [former President Barack] Obama's birth certificate, to invoking Mexican 'rapists' when he announced his candidacy, to almost every policy he has enacted and action he has taken as president, right up to directly inducing yesterday's violence by instructing his supporters to march down Pennsylvania Avenue and head to Congress in a show of 'strength,' and telling them 'we love you' after they had done his violent bidding and taken over the Capitol building."
Citizens for Ethics
"Impeach and remove him now."
Common Defense
"Veterans swore an oath to protect and defend this nation from enemies foreign and domestic. Trump attacked democracy, breaking his oath, encouraging domestic terrorism. IMPEACH (again) and REMOVE."
"This is a terrifying, but not surprising, way to end President Trump's term, which has been bolstered by white supremacists who have sought to overturn the election results based on a massive misinformation campaign. Trump should be removed from office for his seditious actions, either by invoking the 25th Amendment or through impeachment."
Fight for the Future
"We cannot go back to business as usual because that's what led to this crisis. We must take bold action to make this country a true democracy, where we stand with and for each other and where our elected officials respect our rights, no matter who we are. #RemoveorResign."
Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
"As right-wing terrorists attempt a coup to overthrow democracy at the express request of the sitting president, we take to the streets to make it clear: We will not accept a coup, or anything less than the immediate impeachment, conviction, and removal of Trump."
"There is no question that Donald Trump, aided and abetted by unprincipled Republican members of Congress, inspired this attack on our democracy—both by inciting the violence and exacerbating the structural racism and bigotry that drives it... It would be irresponsible and dangerous for lawmakers to allow Trump to complete the last two weeks of his term. He must be removed from office now. We are asking Congress to impeach him and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office."
Our Revolution
"Trump told the Proud Boys to 'Stand By'—and so they did. They attacked our democracy in defense of HIS baseless election fraud claims. This is a STAIN on our nation. #IMPEACH #DefendDemocracy."
Working Families Party
"Impeach Trump immediately. Expel members of Congress who oppose certification of the election. Investigate the security response on 1/6."
"As nurses, we are deeply disturbed by the scenes of violence and threats to our elected leaders, the dedicated people who work in the Capitol, and anyone else subjected to this unconscionable attack on our most fundamental symbols of democracy... The president has been encouraging sedition. No one is above the law. He is responsible for the scenes we have seen today at the Capitol and he should be held accountable."
"By baselessly insisting, as he has in virtually every public utterance for months now, that the office of president of the United States is rightfully and lawfully his, Trump willfully infects our body politic with a seditious poison whose antidemocratic effects will linger for years. Every hour he is allowed to occupy his office legitimizes this harm and endangers our country. We therefore call on the principal officers of the executive branch to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment to remove a demagogue who is manifestly unfit for office. We also call on Congress to impeach and convict Trump as soon as possible, barring him from ever again holding federal office."
"From Charlottesville to Pittsburgh to Poway to Gilroy to El Paso to the Capitol, we've seen this violence play out too many times. Cornered and desperate, Trump is inciting violence and putting all of us in danger by refusing to concede and allow for the peaceful transition of power. We won't allow our country to be taken over by a right-wing minority who will not observe or abide by democratic practices. Every Republican responsible, from the president to senators, House members to state legislators, who fed, fueled, and fomented these attacks must be removed or resign."
"Donald Trump is a threat to our nation and our democracy. Congress must immediately impeach and remove him from office—and every leader should condemn today's violent insurrection."
"Make no mistake, President Trump incited this violence in an attempt to subvert the will of the people in a fair, legal, and certified election. Incitement to overthrow the U.S. government is a seditious conspiracy, a criminal offense. President Trump must be removed from office as soon as possible, indicted, and convicted."
"The Republican Party has played with fire for years, aiding and abetting an authoritarian, racist president. Now, they and the whole country have been burnt. Vice President Pence and the Cabinet must immediately use the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power. If they don't have the guts, Congress should impeach the president and bar him from ever running for federal office again."
"In the latest show of failed leadership, we witnessed the Capitol under siege by bad actors who had no other objective than to disrupt the constitutional proceedings of a fair and rightful transition of power. At this moment, President Trump is silent and continues to perpetuate lies and disinformation for his selfish amusement and personal gain. We must not allow President Trump to continue to place our nation in peril. The NAACP calls for President Trump's impeachment so that he will never again be able to harm our beloved country, and more importantly, its people."
"[CPDA] supports the growing calls, led by Rep. Ilhan Omar and a number of House representatives, for the impeachment of Trump as the prime instigator of the seditious attack on the U.S. Capitol today... Furthermore, we support the resolution introduced by Rep. Cori Bush calling for the investigation and possible expulsion of the members of Congress who have voiced support for a reversal of the election... We cannot stand by while the very people elected to protect our democracy encourage violent attempts to overthrow the government."
"Make no mistake: Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 elections, refusal to accept the results, and ongoing support for white supremacy are the fuel that sparked this dangerous fire. We agree with those across the political spectrum—from Common Cause to the NAACP to the National Association of Manufacturers—who are calling for Trump to be removed from office immediately, before he can do more damage to our democracy."
"Donald Trump must be immediately removed from office before he succeeds in violently overthrowing American democracy. Yesterday's white supremacist, anti-democratic attack on representative government was carefully and intentionally coordinated by Trump and many others on the right wing in order to prevent every vote from being counted. It was a desperate attempt by violent insurrectionists to hold on to power at all costs. Those responsible must be held accountable."
"Trump should be impeached. History will not be kind to politicians whose inaction enables white supremacist terrorists and presidents who brazenly cheer them on. Inaction enables terrorism, and inaction ensures that cycles of racism and terrorism will repeat. Not holding leaders accountable for inciting terrorism sends a clear message to terrorists and those whom they terrorize. The world is watching."
"To protect our democracy and ensure the safety of our nation, the National Education Association is calling for the immediate removal of Donald Trump from the office of the president. Yesterday wasn't the first heinous and anti-democratic act of violence directed by the current president and his allies, and it won't be the last if he isn't removed from office now."
"President Trump's actions yesterday to incite violence and encourage a coup were traitorous, unethical, and anti-American. He is unfit to lead and his abuse of the office of president of the United States has put everyone in this country at risk. We urge Vice President Pence, the Cabinet, and members of Congress to exercise their Constitutional responsibilities to take immediate action to remove President Trump from office and to hold him accountable for his criminal and treasonous conduct."
"At the very least, treason, especially when directed by the president of the United States should be a fireable offense. He is unstable and through his actions makes every American—and especially women and people of color—unsafe. Trump should be removed from office immediately, so that he can not cause further violence... Members of Congress who aided and abetted this assault, who peddled the president's lies and conspiracies, and who attempted to erase the voices of tens of millions of voters who repudiated Trump at the ballot box, should face consequences for their treasonous and seditious actions and no longer have the honor of serving in the people's house."
"Invoking the 25th Amendment in this way is without precedent and should only be done in the most extreme circumstances. But we are now living in those most extreme circumstances. Your country is relying on you to honor your duty to the Constitution and protect us all.
"This morning, we placed a call to Vice President Pence to urge him to invoke the 25th Amendment which would allow the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to remove the president for his incitement of insurrection and the danger he still poses. We have not yet heard back from the vice president. The president's dangerous and seditious acts necessitate his immediate removal from office. We look forward to hearing from the vice president as soon as possible and to receiving a positive answer as to whether he and the Cabinet will honor their oath to the Constitution and the American people."
"This is bigger than politics. The president has incited violence, insurrection, and disregard for the very foundation of our democracy. It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment."
"We've seen the damage Trump can do in one day; two weeks is too long for him to stay in power. I support impeaching Trump again, the 25th Amendment, and any other constitutional method of removing this dangerous man from office."
"We should not be adjourned. We must reconvene to proceed with articles of impeachment immediately."
"Every day the president remains in office is a grave threat to the viability of our very democracy. He must be removed from office immediately—either through the 25th Amendment or impeachment. The GOP members who incited the attempted white supremacist coup must be removed too."
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.)
"I am circulating Articles of Impeachment that Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and I have prepared to remove the president from office following yesterday's attack on the U.S. Capitol."
Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.)
"President Trump is unfit for office. I'm Joining Rep. Ted Lieu and Rep. David Cicilline in calling on Vice President Mike Pence to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Donald Trump from office."
"All that these Cabinet resignations say to me is that they don't have the guts to hold President Trump accountable through the 25th Amendment.
Rep. Sheila Lee Jackson (D-Texas)
"Enough is enough! The president has completely lost whatever moral authority he had and is unfit as Commander-in-Chief. His actions to incite violence against his own government and against the entire Congress warrants removal from office. And if administration officials refuse to invoke the 25th Amendment, I am moving forward with Articles of Impeachment to remove him from office."
"Trump incited and fueled this violent assault on our Capitol and our democracy that was carried out by domestic terrorists—many associated with white nationalist groups—with the intent to overturn the election. Congress must reconvene immediately and remove this president."
"Time and time again, Donald Trump has abused his power in an attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election and undermine the integrity of our democracy. That's why I'm proud to join my colleagues in calling for impeachment."
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
"The president caused this. The president is unfit and the president is unwell. And the president must now relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily. It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment and end this nightmare."
"Impeach Trump. Investigate domestic terrorism. Invoke the 25th Amendment."
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.)
"Yesterday was a despicable and shameful moment in American history. We must impeach and remove the president."
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.)
"Donald Trump needs to be impeached immediately."
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.)
"President Kennedy's favorite quote: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' Now is not a time for the GOP to do nothing. Invoke the 25th. Impeach the president."
"As for [Trump], this nation does not have the luxury of waiting two more weeks for him to leave office. The 25th Amendment needs to be invoked immediately. He needs to be impeached immediately. He needs to resign immediately. The safety of this country depends on it."
"Trump and his team are trying to cover their actions yesterday and avoid being identified for inciting an attack on Congress. He is a clear and present danger as long as he is in office. Reports are indicating that he is unwell and getting worse. He must be removed from office."
"Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives and removed from office by the United States Senate. We can't allow him to remain in office, it's a matter of preserving our republic and we need to fulfill our oath."
"The [vice president] and the Cabinet have a duty to this nation to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove the President. If he doesn't, Congress will have to impeach [Trump], again."
"Yesterday's acts of domestic terror make abundantly clear that the American people cannot afford another day of Donald Trump in office. I'm co-leading [Ilhan's] articles of impeachment. Trump must be removed and barred from ever holding office again."
"This is on Donald Trump, period. He called folks to D.C. and gave them marching orders. He needs to be impeached and removed immediately."
Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
"The quickest and most effective way—it can be done today—to remove this president from office would be for the vice president to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment. If the vice president and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress must reconvene to impeach President Trump."
"President Trump must be removed from office for inciting yesterday's violent insurrection. I am calling on the Cabinet and vice president to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment."
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
"It's clear Donald Trump is a threat to our nation and he should be removed from office as soon as possible. The Cabinet should immediately invoke the 25th Amendment, but if they fail to do so then Congress must immediately begin impeachment proceedings to safeguard our republic."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
"In the wake of yesterday's violence at the Capitol—chaos directly incited by President Trump—we've seen numerous calls for his removal by impeachment or the 25th Amendment. I am in full agreement that the president needs to be removed from office as soon as possible."
"Trump cannot pardon himself. No one may be a judge of their own case. Trump must be removed from office. Impeach. 25th Amendment. Now."
"Trump is absolutely unfit and should be removed from office. If we can do it by Jan. 20 by impeachment, I am all for it. The Cabinet and VP can and should invoke the 25th Amendment TODAY. And there should be criminal investigations and prosecutions. Justice demands accountability."
"A number of administration officials are resigning in protest to Trump's horrific acts of sedition yesterday. Not good enough! The vice president and Cabinet members must invoke the 25th Amendment NOW and remove Trump from office before he incites more violence and chaos."
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)
"This president is unfit to remain in office for the next two weeks. Every minute he's in power, he continues to be a threat to our security. It's time for the 25th Amendment."
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the Cabinet should stop hiding behind anonymous leaks to reporters and do what the Constitution demands they do: invoke the 25th Amendment and remove this president from office."
"President Trump incited an attempted insurrection. He's unfit. He ought to go, by resignation, the 25th Amendment, or impeachment."
"Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our democracy. His Cabinet must use the 25th Amendment to act. And if Mike Pence and Trump's 'see-no-evil' Cabinet don't have the stomach to do their duty, Congress should reconvene to impeach this dangerous man."
Gov. Charlie Baker, Massachusetts (R)
"I think people should pursue whatever they believe will make is possible—through the most expeditious way possible—for the president to step down and for the vice president to assume the powers of the office for the next 14 days so that an orderly transition can take place."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Illinois (D)
"Two weeks is too long for Donald Trump to remain in office... [He] must be impeached and removed from office immediately."
Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City (D)
"The president of the United States incited a mob in an effort to disrupt democracy. He should be removed from office."
Mayor Marty Walsh, Boston (and U.S. labor secretary nominee)
"[Trump] has proven, once again, to be incapable of the leadership and the responsibilities of the presidency of the United States of America... I absolutely believe that the president should be removed from office."
Ben & Jerry's, ice cream activists
"Resign, impeach, 25th Amendment... Not one more day."
Medea Benjamin, activist
"Impeach now!!!"
Alan Grayson, former congressman, author
"Note to House Dems: In the Trump impeachment resolution, PLEASE include a lifetime bar from office. I'm begging you."
Shaun King, activist
"Trump should be impeached and removed from office immediately... He directly caused this. All of it."
Kai Newkirk, organizer
"How any member of Congress still refuses to insist on the immediate impeachment and removal of this seditious madman is truly absurd."
Dr. Rupa Marya, physician, author, activist
"Impeach NOW! Please call your representative."
Ernest Owens, journalist
"Y'all keep saying #TrumpConceded, but all I hear is a white supremacist telling his cult following 'our incredible journey is just beginning.' Seriously, listen carefully. He isn't done. Invoke that 25th Amendment, now."
Barbara Ransby, historian, professor, activist
"No time to waste..."
Robert Reich, economist, author
"Either Trump is insane, in which case it's too dangerous for him to remain in office, or he knowingly incited yesterday's insurgency, in which case he's too dangerous to remain in office. Impeach or 25th Amendment. Now."
Linda Sarsour, activist
"[House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy] said, 'Mobs don't rule America. Laws rule America.' If that in fact is true, then your president violated laws and should be removed immediately. Do that. Do your job. Talk is cheap."
Mary L. Trump, author
"Impeach and remove him now."
Marianne Williamson, author, politician
"This is not a time to 'threaten to pursue' impeachment. No one should be waiting on Mike Pence to make his 25th Amendment decision. Speaker Pelosi should go full steam ahead right now. Nothing wrong with having both options on the table. Every hour they wait is more dangerous."
Andrew Yang, entrepreneur, politician
"President Pence."