The National Association of Manufacturers urged Vice President Mike Pence to “seriously consider” invoking the 25th Amendment and removing President Donald Trump from office after a pro-Trump rally devolved into chaos on Wednesday.
CEO Jay Timmons released a statement on Wednesday calling on the “armed thugs” who broke into the U.S. Capitol to cease violence, and blasting Trump for refusing “to accept defeat in a free and fair election.”
“Throughout this whole disgusting episode, Trump has been cheered on by members of his own party, adding fuel to the distrust that has enflamed violent anger. This is not law and order. This is chaos. It is mob rule. It is dangerous. This is sedition and should be treated as such,” Timmons said.
Trump “incited violence in an attempt to retain power,” Timmons continued, making it necessary for Pence and other members of Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and “preserve democracy.”
“This is not the vision of America that manufacturers believe in and work so hard to defend,” he added. “We are trying to rebuild an economy and save and rebuild lives. But none of that will matter if our leaders refuse to fend off this attack on America and our democracy — because our very system of government, which underpins our very way of life, will crumble.”
Several Democrats have similarly called on Pence to betray Trump and take over the role of president.
Trump has given us no choice. The 25th Amendment must be invoked NOW. We need to immediately wrest control of the country from him. He is not the commander of chief of the US. He is commander of chief of the Trump mob & proud boys. @VP Pence must step up & defend our democracy.
— Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) January 6, 2021
House Judiciary Democrats sent a letter to Pence asking him to step in, arguing that it is Pence’s constitutional responsibility to remove a sitting president who is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
NEW: I am sending a letter with @RepTedLieu and our colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee, calling on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump from office after today’s events. pic.twitter.com/5VK8DLTLn4
— David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) January 7, 2021
