Donald Trump facing calls for immediate removal from office following deadly Capitol chaos

In an angry, rambling speech outside the White House before the violence, Mr Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and demanded that Mr Pence, who was ceremonially leading the session to certify Joe Biden’s election win, intervene to reverse their defeat.

The vice president refused, and it was ultimately Mr Pence standing before the joint session of Congress who later announced his and Mr Trump’s loss.

Mick Mulvaney, Mr Trump’s former chief of staff, announced following the violence he was resigning as the US special envoy to Northern Ireland and he expected others to step down.

“I can’t stay here, not after yesterday,” Mr Mulvaney told CNBC television.

“And I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of my friends resign over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours.”

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao later confirmed she was resigning from Mr Trump’s cabinet due to the violence. Her resignation was shortly followed by that of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Meanwhile a US Capitol Police officer has died of injuries sustained during clashes with the protesters, police said late Thursday.

Four protesters died, including a woman who was shot by police. Three other deaths were reported on the Capitol grounds, but the circumstances remained unclear.

Officer Brian Sicknick, a 12-year veteran of the force, was “responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters,” Capitol Police said in a statement.

“He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries” on Thursday night, it said.

 SBS  Additional reporting by Reuters, SBS News.