--- title: Trump Inauguration: Impeachment Campaign Launch description: Groups trying to boot President Donald Trump from office have launched an online campaign to get the newest commander-in-chief impeached. canonical: https://time.com/4641233/donald-trump-inauguration-impeach/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-20T18:19:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:14:12.689Z article:section: Politics og:title: There’s Already a Campaign to Impeach President Donald Trump og:description: The online petition went live as Trump was inaugurated og:url: https://time.com/4641233/donald-trump-inauguration-impeach/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60322db9cfefbd12/6988b665428a9e51b4cd58d4/donald-trump-impeach.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: donald-trump-impeach og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: There’s Already a Campaign to Impeach President Donald Trump twitter:description: The online petition went live as Trump was inaugurated twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60322db9cfefbd12/6988b665428a9e51b4cd58d4/donald-trump-impeach.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # There’s Already a Campaign to Impeach President Donald Trump > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2c77a7f0-c880-42fa-98fd-dd54bfc33a68&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch President Trump's Inaugural Address [Watch (HLS stream): Watch President Trump's Inaugural Address](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bL9xqRfb.m3u8) (3:46)  _Published 2017-01-20. Donald Trump delivered his first speech as President of the United States on Friday morning._  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 20, 2017 6:19 PM UTC  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 20, 2017 6:19 PM UTC Two civil rights groups trying to boot [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/4640703/donald-trump-inauguration-day-2017/?xid=homepage) from the nation’s highest office have launched an online campaign to get the brand new commander-in-chief impeached. Their website, [www.impeachdonaldtrumpnow.org](http://www.impeachdonaldtrumpnow.org/), went live on Friday just as Trump was officially sworn in. It is run by two groups, Free Speech for People and RootsAction, which believe Trump’s possible conflicts of interest are grounds for his ouster, the [Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/20/the-campaign-to-impeach-president-trump-has-begun/?postshare=2711484932964031&tid=ss%5Ftw&utm%5Fterm=.f195c56b00d2) reports. “The nation is now witnessing a massive corruption of the presidency, far worse than Watergate,” the campaign’s website says. “From the moment he assumed the office, President Donald Trump has been in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution. The President is not above the law. We will not allow President Trump to profit from the presidency at the expense of our democracy.” The organizers are asking for supporters to sign their petition as they ask Congress to pass a resolution calling on officials to investigate whether there is enough evidence to impeach Trump. The U.S. Constitution states that the President and all “civil officers” should be impeached for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” However, [government historians say](http://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Impeachment/) while the House has initiated impeachment proceedings more than 60 times, less than a third resulted in impeachments. Earlier Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union said it has [taken legal action](http://time.com/4640947/aclu-donald-trump-inauguration-plan/) to obtain government documents that may show Trump’s potential conflicts of interest. ## Transcript Every four years we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power. And we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for the gracious aide throughout this transition. They have been magnificent, thank you. [ APPLAUSE ] Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning, because today we are not merely transferring power From one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington DC and giving it back to you the people. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished But the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. We've made other countries rich, while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon. But that is the past. And now, we are looking only to the future. [ APPLAUSE ] We assembled here today or issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first. We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism which we will eradicate complete from the face of the Earth [ APPLAUSE ] At the bedrock of our politics, we'll be a total allegiance to the United States of America and thru our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. Together, we will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes Together we will make America great again. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. [ APPLAUSE ] Thank you. God bless America. 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