Trump defends what he said to protestors at rally
UNITED STATES president Donald Trump has said that the prospect of impeachment is causing “tremendous anger” in the nation – but he added that he wants “no violence”.
House of Representatives politicians were reconvening at the Capitol yesterday, for the first time since last week’s pro-Trump riot, to vote on a resolution calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to declare the president unable to serve.
Mr Pence is not expected to take any such action. The House would next move swiftly to impeach Mr Trump.
The president spoke yesterday as he left for Texas to survey the border wall with Mexico. His remarks were his first to reporters since the Capitol attack.
Mr Trump defended his rally remarks to a protest crowd last week, saying: “People thought that what I said was totally appropriate”.
On impeachment, Mr Trump said it is “a really terrible thing that they’re doing”. But he said: “We want no violence. Never violence.”
Mr Trump faces a single charge – “incitement of insurrection” – in the impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating today, a week before Democrat Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated as president, on January 20.
The FBI has warned ominously of potential armed protests in Washington DC and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of Mr Biden’s inauguration. The Washington Monument has been closed to the public and the inauguration ceremony on the west steps of the Capitol will be off limits to the public.
A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot a woman during the violence. Three others died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.
Mr Pence and Mr Trump met late on Monday for the first time since the Capitol attack, and had a “good conversation”, pledging to continue working for the remainder of their terms, said a senior administration official.
Mr Pence has given no indication he would proceed with invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Mr Trump from office. No member of the Cabinet has publicly called for Mr Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment process.
As security tightened, Mr Biden said on Monday that he was “not afraid” of taking the oath of office outside at the Capitol.
As for the rioters, Mr Biden said, “It is critically important that there will be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage – that they be held accountable.”
Mr Biden said he has had conversations with senators ahead of a possible impeachment trial, which some have worried would cloud the opening days of his administration.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was exploring ways to immediately convene the Senate for the trial as soon as the House acts, though Republican leader Mitch McConnell would need to agree.