LETTER: Donald Trump violates his oath of office

The oath Donald Trump took on his inauguration date requires him to “uphold, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The Constitution prohibits presidents from receiving any “emolument” (i.e., payment, compensation, profit, etc.) from a foreign government. Based in significant part on that clause, Mr. Trump reluctantly canceled plans to host the 2020 Group of 7 summit at one of his properties in Florida.

Shockingly, Mr. Trump publicly referred to the emoluments clause as “phony.” By doing so, he used his position as president to attempt to delegitimize such clause. That violates his oath to “uphold, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

All members of Congress and every patriotic American must condemn Mr. Trump’s derogatory remarks and violation of his oath. That conduct alone justifies not only his impeachment by the House, but his conviction by the Senate and his removal from the office.