Dem activists to vote on resolution calling for Trump impeachment

Activists at the Dem state convention today will vote on a resolution calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump for his executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

A party committee has recommended delegates approve the resolution, which argues Trump’s executive order violated his oath of office and he should be impeached by the House and removed from office by the Senate.

It’s one of four resolutions mentioning Trump or his policies that will be considered at the convention, which is being held in the Wisconsin Dells. Another calls the “detention and deportation or imprisonment of humans without due process is inhumane” while stating support for the “people, cities, and states who will not aid or abet any person/agency that acts against immigrants without lawful and humane due process.” 

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Delegates will also consider a resolution calling for the restoration of USAID as well as one proposed by the party’s Jewish Caucus that accuses the Trump administration of using “antisemitism as a political wedge to divide Americans, attack academic freedom, and justify slashing funding to universities and critical research.” The proposed resolution condemns antisemitism while opposing “the exploitation of Jewish safety to advance political agendas.”

State GOP spokesperson Anika Rickard knocked Dems for the Trump-related resolutions.

“Democrats have shown their allegiance aligns with everyone but Americans,” she said. “Wisconsinites elected President Trump because they knew he would put Americans First and he is keeping that promise.” 

The resolutions aren’t binding on Dem elected officials, though the party describes them as outlining “the principles that guide our work” as well as the “policies we believe in.”

Each party regularly has debates on resolutions during their state conventions, and they’re often fodder for the other side to knock the priorities of activists. Republican delegates, for example, earlier this month approved a resolution calling for enforcement of an 1849 law that has been interpreted to ban all abortions except to save the life of the mother. Dems knocked the GOP for the move.

Draft resolutions for the Dem convention must first be approved by county party membership and sent to congressional district conventions for review. Each district can then forward no more than 10 to the state party’s Platform & Resolutions Committee for review. The committee then sends them to the convention floor for delegates to consider.

The committee has recommended adopting all the resolutions that will be before delegates, except for two dealing with party governance. One that supports additional funding for College Dems has been recommended for a separate discussion. The committee recommended forwarding to the Administrative Committee another that calls for establishing permanent organizing offices on the north and south sides of Milwaukee.

The party said it currently has one office in Milwaukee.

At last year’s convention, delegates backed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict despite opposition from leadership that it failed to mention the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

They also approved a resolution opposing antisemitism, though delegates struck a line that stated antisemitic incidents have “skyrocketed nearly 400% since” the Oct. 7 attack, citing data from the Anti-Defamation League. Those who pushed the change argued that number had been inflated by including legitimate criticism of Israel. 

There are no resolutions in this year’s package mentioning the ongoing conflict.

Other proposals the delegates will consider include a call to oppose “all efforts to defund or weaken DEI initiatives statewide.” Another would express party support for a constitutional amendment that would restrict individual donation amounts to candidates or special interest groups; eliminate PACs; and prohibit corporations from donating to political parties or candidates.