WATCH: Joe Biden Says Trump Is Unfit To Serve, The People Want Him Out
President-Elect Joe Biden explained on Friday that Donald Trump is not fit to hold his office, and that the American people have agreed he should be removed. He refused to directly address whether Trump should be removed by either the 25th Amendment or impeachment, however, saying that he will take office in just under two weeks, and what happens in the meantime is up to Congress.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump spoke to his supporters in D.C., telling them to stop being so nice and to fight harder. Afterward, a mob of them burst into the Capitol building, forcing the Secret Service to move legislators to a secure location. They carried out a campaign of invasion, destruction, and threats, delaying the Democratic process. Now, the House is planning to move forward with the impeachment process. When asked his views on this Friday, Biden would not directly address impeachment, but said that he’d believed for a long time Trump was unfit to hold the office — “That’s why I ran.”
Biden sidesteps a question about whether he supports Trump's impeachment, but says "I have thought for a long time that President Trump was not fit to hold the job. That is why I ran."
"What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide," he adds. pic.twitter.com/UrdLSGIz0a
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 8, 2021
"He is not fit to serve. He is one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the US … what 81 million people stood up and said [is] it's time for him to go'" — Biden on Trump pic.twitter.com/bOjvtMCAGy
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 8, 2021
Some Republicans have spoken against impeachment. Senator Lindsey Graham has said that it’s “time to heal” and that impeachment would set a dangerous precedent. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has also complained that this would further divide the country, and that he had encouraged Donald Trump to help “quell the mob”
Impeaching the President with just 12 days left will only divide our country more. I've reached out to President-elect Biden today & plan to speak to him about how we must work together to lower the temperature & unite the country to solve America’s challenges.
My full statement pic.twitter.com/EkkmOAkb7i
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) January 8, 2021
Biden has expressed an intent previously to stay entirely out of any actions the Justice Department may take to prosecute Donald Trump for crimes committed in office, saying that he doesn’t believe it would be helpful for the nation for him to be directly involved in those proceedings.