Ben & Jerry’s calls for Trump’s removal after Capitol riots, urges 25th Amendment be invoked
Ice cream giant joins growing list of companies and organizations
Vermont-based ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry's, whose founders have a history of supporting social-justice causes, have joined a growing call for President Trump to be removed from office through the invocation of the 25th Amendment following Wednesday's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.
SOME CEOS FIRE RIOTERS, CALL FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’S REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
There have been growing calls from business leaders as well as members of Congress to consider the move after pro-Trump supporters stormed into the Capitol to stop the confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. Lawmakers were forced to evacuate during the riot which resulted in four deaths and dozens of arrests.
"Resign, impeach, 25th Amendment... not one more day," the company wrote on Twitter.
In a follow-up post, the company -- which is owned by international consumer goods giant Unilever -- told its Twitter followers that "how we respond to the events of yesterday will determine which America we will be."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UL | UNILEVER PLC | 59.91 | +0.07 | +0.12% |
Ben & Jerry's remarks follow pleas from business leaders who have denounced the riots and called for Trump's removal from office, despite the president having less than two weeks left in his term.
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National Association of Manufacturers CEO Jay Timmons called on Vice President Mike Pence to "seriously consider" invoking the 25th Amendment in order "to preserve democracy."
"We are trying to rebuild an economy and save and rebuild lives," Timmons said. "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.”
Likewise, the National Nurses United (NNU), which represents more than 150,000 nurses around the nation, issued a statement endorsing calls to remove Trump after they say he lead the "failed coup attempt that culminated in the assault by armed insurrectionists on the U.S. Capitol."
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“Continuation of President Trump’s tenure presents a clear and present danger for a repetition of the failed coup or similar risks to our nation and the world," NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo said. "The risk of him remaining in office, even for just two weeks, is far too great.”
In a separate statement, NNU President Jean Ross said that there "must be immediate and severe consequences when a president incites a violent insurrection."
In the case that the 25th Amendment "is not immediately invoked, the House must quickly begin impeachment proceedings and the Senate must convict Trump and remove him from office,” said Ross.
PENCE TO OPPOSE 25TH AMENDMENT POWERS TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM OFFICE
A large Washington, D.C.-based law firm with offices both in the U.S. and abroad, shared similar concerns.
The 12-member management board of Crowell & Moring LLP contacted the nation’s top 200 law firms and asked them to join in sending a letter to Pence seeking Trump’s ouster.
"The President has proven himself unfit for office, and a reckless and wanton threat to the Constitution that he pledged to preserve, protect, and defend," the firm said in a statement. "We call upon the Vice President and the Cabinet officers to invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, and to declare to the leaders of Congress that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office."
However, former Republican state Rep. Rick Green of Texas, told FOX Business that "calls for impeachment or invoking the 25th do nothing to heal our nation or bring us together, but only tear us further apart."
CEOS, BUSINESS GROUPS CONDEMN CAPITOL HILL PROTESTS, VIOLENCE AND URGE PEACE
With the inauguration slated for Jan. 20, Congress would have less than two weeks to get a second impeachment and trial done.
The 25th Amendment allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a president unfit for office. The vice president then becomes acting president. However, sources inside the vice president's office have confirmed to Fox News that Pence intends to oppose calls to remove Trump from office.
The section of the amendment specifically addressing this procedure has never been invoked.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.