By Chris Kahn
(Reuters) – Fifty-seven percent of Americans want President Donald Trump to be immediately removed from office after he encouraged a protest this week that escalated into a deadly riot inside the U.S. Capitol, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The national public opinion survey, conducted Thursday and Friday, also showed that seven out of those who voted for Trump, a Republican, in November opposed the action of the hardcore supporters who broke into the Capitol while lawmakers were meeting to certify the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden.
Nearly 70% of Americans surveyed also said they disapprove of Trump’s actions in the run-up to Wednesday’s assault. At a rally earlier in the day, Trump had exhorted thousands of his followers to march to the Capitol.
The chaos on Capitol Hill, in which a police officer and four others died, has been widely condemned by both Democrats and Republicans.
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump on Monday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. [L1N2JJ0UU]
(Reporting by Chris Kahn, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Sonya Hepinstall)
