The Case for Treason: Why †rump Must Be Impeached, Removed, or Both
- Kal Inois
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
The word treason is not thrown around lightly in this article. It is the only crime specifically defined in the
United States Constitution, deliberately written narrowly by the Founders to prevent it from becoming a
political weapon. That precision was intentional. And it cuts both ways. When the case fits, it fits unambiguously.
Here, we make the case — methodically, legally, and with sources — that Donald †rump has committed
acts that meet the constitutional definition of treason, that Congress has both the authority and the obligation to impeach him, and that the 25th Amendment provides an additional constitutional remedy that his own Cabinet has the power and the moral obligation to invoke.
We begin with January 6, 2021. We do not end there.
What Treason Actually Means
Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution defines treason in two ways only: "levying War against" the United States, or "adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." That is it. The Founders wrote it narrowly on purpose; they had seen treason used as a political weapon by the British Crown to silence dissent, and they wanted to make sure that could never happen here.
There is also a statutory definition. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2381, whoever "levies war against" the United States or "adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort" is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or imprisonment of not less than five years, and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
There is a third relevant provision: the Impeachment Clause, Article II, Section 4, states that the president "shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." Impeachment does not require a criminal conviction. It requires a finding by Congress that the president's conduct is incompatible with the office.
January 6, 2021
The Blueprint
On January 6, 2021, a sitting president incited a mob to storm the United States Capitol for the purpose of preventing the peaceful transfer of power, the most fundamental act of democratic governance. Members of Congress were evacuated. Police officers were beaten with flagpoles. The building was ransacked. Seven people died. The certification of a free and fair election was delayed for hours.
The House of Representatives impeached †rump for incitement of insurrection on January 13, 2021 — the most bipartisan impeachment vote in American history, with ten Republicans joining every Democrat. The Senate acquitted him, but not because it found him innocent. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called †rump's conduct "a disgraceful dereliction of duty" and said he was "practically and morally responsible" for the attack, then voted to 'acquit on procedural grounds.'
Legal scholars debated whether January 6 constituted treason in the strict constitutional sense. Most
concluded that it was more precisely seditious conspiracy, which the January 6 convictions of over 1,200 participants established as fact, rather than treason's narrower definition requiring an overt act of war against the state or aid to foreign enemies. But the spirit was unmistakable: a president tried to use violence to remain in power against the will of the American people.
That was not the end. It was the beginning of a pattern.
Levying War Against the United States
The Military Deployments
This is where the constitutional case for treason becomes direct and specific.
In 2025, †rump deployed, or attempted to deploy, National Guard troops against civilians in Los
Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, over the explicit objection of state governors. Federal courts in all three
states ruled against him. The Seventh Circuit ruled against him. The Supreme Court ruled his deployments illegal. He continued anyway.
But the legal analysis goes beyond defying court orders. Free Speech For People, a nonpartisan national
legal organization, formally argued in 2025 that †rump is committing treason by mobilizing U.S. troops
against American civilians to suppress political dissent. Their argument: by deploying military forces against the people of the United States to instill fear, quell lawful protest, and usurp state authority, †rump has "levied War against" the United States within the meaning of Article III, Section 3.
The evidence for that argument is not subtle. In a mandatory gathering of top U.S. military officials on
September 30, 2025, †rump and Hegseth told military commanders that the military would not be required to adhere to international humanitarian law to protect civilian life; that the military should view the residents of U.S. cities as "foreign enemies"; and that those enemies should be "intimidated, demoralized, hunted and killed."
To direct the military to treat American citizens as foreign enemies to be hunted and killed is not a policy
dispute. It is the textbook definition of levying war against the United States.
Defying the Courts
The Constitutional Crisis
The Constitution is not self-enforcing. It operates on what scholars have called the honor system: the assumption that those who take an oath to defend it will do so. †rump has systematically demonstrated that assumption to be false.
Multiple federal courts have issued orders blocking regime actions. †rump has defied them, ignored them, or found procedural workarounds while continuing the underlying conduct. Harvard professors Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky documented the pattern: in a healthy democracy, winning a lawsuit against the government settles the conflict. Under this Regime, winning a lawsuit simply means the government finds other means of coercion.
The presidential oath requires †rump to "faithfully execute" the laws of the United States. H.Res. 353,
introduced in the 119th Congress, lists seven articles of impeachment including obstruction of justice,
violation of due process, and a breach of the duty to faithfully execute laws. H.Res. 537 adds an article
specifically for usurping Congress's power to declare war, which brings us to the most urgent and current evidence of all enemies, foreign and domestic. When the president himself is the threat to constitutional order, the oath has been broken.
The Iran War
Treason by Oath Violation
No congressional vote authorized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. No public debate preceded it. It was started unilaterally, escalated unilaterally, and is being used to threaten actions that legal scholars across the political spectrum have called war crimes.
Yesterday, †rump posted on Truth Social threatening to "completely obliterate" Iran's electrical generating plants, oil wells, and desalination facilities, the water supply for millions of civilians, if a deal is not reached by April 6. Yesterday, he told the Financial Times that his "favourite thing" would be to "take the oil in Iran," explicitly comparing it to the January military operation in Venezuela.
Starting an unauthorized war, threatening war crimes publicly, and treating sovereign nations as personal
possessions is not governance. It is the conduct of a man who believes, and has said explicitly, that he can do whatever he wants. The presidential oath requires defending the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. When the president himself is the threat to constitutional order, the oath has been broken.
The Ultimate Irony
†rump Calls Others Traitors
In November 2025, six Democratic lawmakers — all military veterans or intelligence community members — posted a video reminding service members that they are not required to follow illegal orders. This is not a radical position. It is what the Constitution says. It is what the Uniform Code of Military Justice says. It is what every service member is trained.
†rump's response: he called for their execution. On social media, he wrote: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR,
punishable by DEATH!" He reposted: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!" The White House press secretary was asked directly: "Does the president want to execute members of Congress?" She replied "no," then proceeded to imply they had committed crimes.
Congressman Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger and one of the six, responded: "This Regime wants
people to think that simply reminding people of their oath and what the law requires is somehow criminal and should result in treason and hanging."
The man demanding that members of Congress be hanged for treason is the same man whose own legal
exposure on treason charges is being formally argued by legal organizations in federal court. That is not
irony. That is a warning.
Two Constitutional Remedies
The Constitution provides two mechanisms for removing a president who has become a threat to the
republic. Both are available right now. Both are necessary.
Impeachment
Articles of impeachment have already been introduced in Congress. H.Res. 353 sets forth seven articles including obstruction of justice, abuse of trade powers, violation of First Amendment rights, bribery, and tyranny. H.Res. 939, introduced by Rep. Al Green of Texas, specifically cites †rump's call for the execution of lawmakers. H.Res. 537 focuses on the unconstitutional war powers violation in Iran.
84% of Democratic voters, 55% of Independents, and even 20% of Republicans support impeaching †rump for violating Americans' constitutional rights. The political will exists in the country. What is lacking is the courage in Congress. That is where public pressure — your voice, your vote, your contact with representatives — becomes the mechanism of democracy.
The 25th Amendment
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment allows the Vice President and a majority of the 15-member Cabinet to
declare the president unable to discharge the duties of the office. The Vice President then immediately
assumes the powers of the presidency. If †rump contests the finding, Congress votes, and a two-thirds
majority in both chambers can remove him.
Calls for the 25th Amendment have been growing since the Iran war started, and have begun crossing into conservative circles. Scott McConnell, founding editor of The American Conservative, called on Vice
President Vance to support a "25th Amendment transition" away from †rump. Prediction markets now give a 33% probability of the 25th Amendment being invoked before †rump leaves office, up from 15% at the start of the year.
The honest assessment: Section 4 has never been used in American history. A Cabinet composed almost
entirely of †rump loyalists makes it a political long shot. But the fact that it is being seriously discussed — by conservative journalists, by legal scholars, by prediction markets — tells you something important about where we are.
We are in a moment where the Constitution's own emergency mechanisms are being debated as live
options, not theoretical ones. That is not normal. That is the point.
What You Must Do
Democracy is not a spectator sport. The Constitution's remedies only work if citizens demand that their
representatives use them. Here is what you can do today:
Contact your representatives — today.
Call, email, and show up. Tell your House member to support impeachment articles. Tell your senators the same. Find their contact info at house.gov and senate.gov. Be specific: cite H.Res. 353, H.Res. 537, and H.Res. 939. Make them go on record.
Sign the petitions — all of them.
Three organizations are leading the charge and need your name. The Removal Coalition and Citizens'
Impeachment are working together under the banner 'Impeach. Convict. Remove the Regime.' Sign up and get involved at removalcoalition.org and citizensimpeachment.com. Free Speech For People's Impeach †rump Again campaign has documented 25 grounds for impeachment and has over one million signatories; add your name at impeachtrumpagain.org. These are not symbolic gestures. Members of Congress track petition numbers from their districts. Your signature is a data point they cannot ignore.
Show up.
The No Kings protests on March 28 showed that eight million Americans are paying attention. Keep showing up — locally, loudly, and consistently. Harvard research shows mass mobilization is the documented mechanism for reversing democratic backsliding.
Protect the 2026 midterms.
The most powerful near-term check on this Regime is a Congress with the votes to act. Volunteer as a poll worker. Escort voters. Donate to voter protection organizations. Democracy does not protect itself.
Stay connected with us.
Find us at Citizens Against Tyranny and follow us on Substack, Communities, UpScrolled, and find more on our LinkTree. We are organizing, we are not stopping, and we want you with us.
The Founders wrote the word "treason" into the Constitution because they understood that the greatest
threat to a republic is not always a foreign enemy. Sometimes it is the person who swore to protect it.
We are watching that threat in real time. The Constitution gave us the tools to respond. The question — the only question that matters right now — is whether enough of us will demand that those tools be used.
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