Trump pledges an ‘orderly transition’

SENATE Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, yesterday called for President Donald Trump’s immediate removal from office, either by his Cabinet or through impeachment, describing the violence at the Capitol on Wednesday as “an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president”.

“What happened at the US Capitol yesterday (Wednesday) was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president,” Schumer said in a statement. “This president should not hold office one day longer.”

Schumer said the “quickest and most effective way” to remove Trump would be under the 25th Amendment.

Trump on Wednesday called on the rioters to “go home” but told them: “We love you. You're very special.”

“All indications are that the president has become unmoored – not just from his duty or even his oath, but from reality itself,” Kinzinger said. “It is for this reason that I call for the vice president and members of the Cabinet to ensure that the next few weeks are safe for the American people, and that we have a sane captain of the ship.”

Kinzinger said that it is time to invoke the 25th Amendment “to end this nightmare”.

Earlier yesterday, Trump pledged an “orderly transition” in a statement issued shortly after Vice President Mike Pence announced Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election at the end of a joint session of Congress that was disrupted for hours by violent Trump supporters.

Trump's statement stopped short of conceding to Biden, who planned to address the nation yesterday and introduce his nominees for several top Justice Department posts.