Women’s Community Statement on President Trump’s Removal

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, we watched as the President of the United States incited a mob to march on the Capitol to attempt to overturn the results of an election he lost eight weeks ago. We watched in horror as that mob of white nationalists stormed the U.S. Capitol building. And we watched as they tried, and failed, to subvert our democracy, leaving a trail of wreckage and terror in their wake.

This was not the beginning. This was an inflection point in years of hate and division incited by a President who does not care about our country or its people, but only about himself. He has stoked racism, sexism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, ableism, xenophobia, toxic masculinity, and more — allowing those who share his beliefs to come out in the open and act without fear of repercussions and wreak havoc on the seat of democracy. The failed insurrection at the Capitol this week was shocking, but not without warning.

We come together today as a community of multi-racial, multi-generational, differently-classed gender justice leaders, who represent women, girls and gender nonconforming people from every corner of this nation, united in condemnation of these unconscionable actions. Together, we demand that our country’s leaders uphold their Constitutional responsibilities and remove President Trump from office immediately. He must be held accountable. He has shown that he is an imminent threat to all of our communities, our nation and our very democracy. We cannot risk one more day under this President.

Now is the time for our leaders to do what is right and fulfill your obligation to the American people who elected you. The House of Representatives has committed to beginning impeachment proceedings, and the Senate must show up with a unified voice to swiftly do the same. If you fail to condemn white nationalists’ violent extremism and hold the President accountable for his actions, you are neglecting your basic responsibility to serve the American people. Vice President Pence, members of the Cabinet, and Members of Congress, you each swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” This is the moment for which that oath was written. And if you fail to protect this country, women and girls across this country will not forget.

American Association of University Women (AAUW), Feminist Majority, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, Institute for Women’s Policy and Research, Jewish Women International (JWI), MomsRising, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Council of Jewish Women, National Crittenton, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, Paid Leave for All, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, SEIU, She the People, Supermajority, TIME’S UP Now, United State of Women, Women’s March, and YWCA USA.

Signed by:

Ai-jen Poo (National Domestic Workers Alliance), Aimee Allison (She the People), Alejandra Castillo (YWCA USA), Alexis McGill Johnson (Planned Parenthood Federation of America), Amanda Brown Lierman (Supermajority), Anna Chu (National Women’s Law Center) Anne-Marie Slaughter, C. Nicole Mason (Institute for Women’s Policy and Research), Dawn Huckelbridge (Paid Leave For All), Debra Ness (National Partnership for Women & Families), Fatima Goss Graves (National Women’s Law Center), Ilyse Hogue (NARAL Pro-Choice America), Jeannette Pai-Espinosa (National Crittenton), Jennifer Klein (TIME’S UP Now), Joanne N. Smith (Girls for Gender Equity), Jordan Brooks (United State of Women), Katherine Spillar (Feminist Majority), Kim Churches (American Association of University Women), Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner (MomsRising), Marcela Howell (In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda), Meredith Jacobs (Jewish Women International), Monique W. Morris, Ed.D, Rachel O’Leary Carmona (Women’s March), Sheila Katz (National Council of Jewish Women), Tina Tchen (TIME’S UP Now), and Vicki Shabo.