Robert Reich: Enough of This Madness. Trump Must Go Now

This article first appeared on RobertReich.org.

We have endured Donald Trump for seven months.

Although he has had few legislative victories, he has almost single-handedly destroyed the moral authority of the presidency of the United States at home and abroad, brought us to the brink of a nuclear war without consulting anyone, and sown division and hatred.

He has given encouragement and legitimacy to the ugliest in America.

How can this nation endure another 41 months of this man?

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Donald Trump on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, September 9, 2015 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty

We can't wait for Robert Mueller's evidence of Russian collusion. Even if Mueller finds that some of Trump's aides colluded, Mueller might well find that Trump had "plausible deniability."

Top guns often arrange wrongdoing so the they can plausibly deny they knew it was occurring. That's the art of the deal.

Let's be clear. There is already enough evidence to impeach Trump on grounds of abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution.

There is already enough evidence of mental impairment to invoke the 25th amendment.

I know, Republicans are in control of Congress. But this is no license for Trump to destroy the nation we love.

I know, removing Trump would mean having Mike Pence as president. But a principled right-winger is better for America and the world than an unhinged sociopath.

Republican as well as Democratic members of the House and Senate must commit themselves to removing this president.

Those of you represented by Democrats in the House or Senate must get their commitment to remove him, as soon as possible.

Those of you represented by Republicans in the House or Senate must let them know that you will campaign vigorously against them in 2018 unless they commit to removing Trump as well.

It is time to end this disgrace.

Robert Reich is the chancellor's professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, and Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective Cabinet secretaries of the 20th century. He has written 14 books, including the best-sellers Aftershock, The Work of Nations and Beyond Outrage and, most recently, Saving Capitalism. He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and co-creator of the award-winning documentary Inequality for All.

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