Garcetti Calls On Trump To Leave Office If He Can't Keep Peace

LOS ANGELES, CA — Mayor Eric Garcetti said it may be time for President Donald Trump to leave office after accusing the president of inciting the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. While speaking with several council members at a vaccine-related press conference Thursday, Garcetti called the attack an "abomination" and said it's time for President Trump to "stand down."

"What we saw yesterday were thugs, thugs who brought an abomination to our nation's capital and who attacked our Capitol," he said. "It was a group of people who were inspired by -- who were incited by the president of the United States of America, a sentence I never thought I would say in my lifetime."

"It is time to quote you, Mr. President, not to stand by but to stand down," he continued. "And if necessary, to leave this office early if you cannot keep the peace of this country," Garcetti added. "If you cannot keep the oath which you are sworn to uphold, we raise our hands as elected officials to protect our country against enemies foreign and domestic, we saw domestic enemies yesterday, and it is your duty to defend this country."

During the riots in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Garcetti called it a "dark day for America."

"This is a dark day for America," Garcetti said. "The assaults on the integrity of our elections and the safety of the U.S. Capitol are wrong — defying our constitution, our core decency, and our common humanity."

"President Trump must condemn what has happened today, stop illegally contesting the will of the American public, and support the institutions and elected leaders who comprise our democracy," he continued. "Our nation will withstand this horrifying moment, and we will see the peaceful transition of government this month. It cannot come too soon. In the meantime, I pray for the security of everyone on Capitol Hill, and I support Congressional leaders and Mayor Bowser’s efforts to restore order and protect our nation’s Capitol and our nation’s capital city."

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez also decried the insurrection attempt, calling it "shameful" and "un-American."

"Make no mistake, this is a violent coup attempt against the United States of America," she said. "From Trump's attacks against our Democracy, to his weak congressional enablers undermining our elections in Congress, to the mob who did their hateful and un-American bidding, this is shameful."

Here in downtown Los Angeles, hundreds of Trump supporters clashed with counter-protesters outside City Hall. At least four arrests were made as multiple fights broke out between the two sides.

City News Service contributed to this report.