Trump lashes out at House Democrats for pushing impeachment inquiry

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at House Democrats for leading an impeachment inquiry against him and called on Republicans to support him in his reelection campaign.

Speaking to supporters in Tupelo, Miss., on Friday night, Trump attacked the Democrats saying he would easily defeat any Democratic rival in the November 2020 presidential election.

He described the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry against him as a "preposterous hoax".

"The democrat party has gone completely insane. The radical left is determined to transform America into a country you would not recognize. We are the ones standing in their way, and we will never get out of their way, it will be easy," he said.

Trump went on to mock former vice president and 2020 candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden over their Ukrainian business dealings which sparked the impeachment process against him.

He called Biden "One Percent Joe" and slammed the media for supporting him. 

Trump framed the impeachment inquiry -- sparked by his demands from Ukraine's president -- as an attack on Republicans.

The rally came as a growing number of Republican senators in the US Congress are ready to acknowledge that Trump used American military aid to pressure Ukraine's president to find "dirt" on Biden.

PressTV-More GOP senators admit Trump’s quid pro quo on Ukraine

A growing number of Senate Republicans are ready to acknowledge that President Trump used US military aid as leverage to force Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

On Thursday, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted formally to lay out the rules for the inquiry after gathering witness testimony about a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that lies at the heart of the impeachment accusations against him.

Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry in September after a whistleblower alleged the Republican president pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden.

That request by Trump, and accusations he blocked nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to force Ukraine's president to publicly announce an investigation into Biden’s family form the basis of the impeachment inquiry that now threatens his presidency.

Trump has defended the July 25 phone call with Zelenskiy, claiming his demand from the Ukrainian president to probe Biden family was a legitimate move.

PressTV-US House votes to formalize Trump’s impeachment inquiry

The US House of Representatives in Congress has passed a resolution to formally proceed with the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

House Democrats say Trump has abused his office for personal gain and jeopardized national security by asking  Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter, who had served as a director for Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

A poll conducted in early October showed that most Democrats wanted to go ahead with the Trump impeachment, even if it meant losing the presidency in the 2020 presidential election.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk