North Carolina Democrats in the House of Representatives joined a growing chorus on Capitol Hill calling for the president to be removed after Trump supporters broke through police lines and ransacked the U.S. Capitol Wednesday.
Reps. David Price, Alma Adams, Kathy Manning, and G.K. Butterfield all said the president should be removed, either through invoking the 25th Amendment or impeachment.
“The words and actions of the president and his allies culminated in a dark and shameful day of American history. Rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol complex, disrupted official work and desecrated the building. Death, destruction and assault on our democracy were the result of the actions of this mob incited by President Trump," Butterfield said in a statement Thursday.
"What we have seen over the last few weeks rises to the level of impeachable conduct. The president is unstable, which should alarm his family, his cabinet, and supporters. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient time to engage in an impeachment proceeding. However, the Presidential cabinet should immediately discuss invoking the 25th Amendment. The American people deserve better," Butterfield said.
The 25th Amendment gives the cabinet a mechanism to remove a sitting president who is unfit for office.
In a separate statement, Price said, “Since before the election, President Trump has fomented rage among his supporters with baseless conspiracies about the election, and yesterday it manifested into a violent attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol. The president and his Republican enablers in Congress are responsible for the mob and their acts of insurrection."
“I call on Vice President Pence and cabinet members to uphold their oath to the Constitution and invoke the 25th Amendment immediately to remove President Trump from office. President Trump’s erratic behavior, his refusal to honor his constitutional duties, and his incitement of an attack on the very seat of democracy leave us no choice. It is too dangerous to wait until January 20th," Price said.
"After one of the most tragic days in Congressional history, it is clear yet again that Donald Trump is unfit to serve as president and should be removed immediately," Adams said in a statement.
“However, it is important to stress that there are different levels of incompetence, madness, and evil; no matter which of these qualities inspired President Trump to fan the flames of an attack on Congress, it is clear that Donald Trump has reached a more dangerous low point than ever before,” the Charlotte Democrat said.
She also called on Republicans in Congress to push the vice president and the cabinet to remove Trump.
Other elected leaders from the state, including Governor Roy Cooper, have also issued statements calling for the president's removal.
"This president has betrayed our country and is therefore unfit to lead it. He should resign or be removed from office," Cooper said in a statement on Twitter.
Trump has 13 days left in his term before Joe Biden is sworn in as president on Jan. 20.