What specific actions or statements by Trump prompted official resignation demands from members of Congress?

1. The Ukraine pressure allegation: calls rooted in alleged abuse of the presidency

A recurring trigger for resignation demands was the claim that President Trump used the powers of his office to press a foreign government to investigate a domestic political opponent, an act framed by petitioners and some members of Congress as a “grave abuse of power” and corrupt use of the presidency that merited immediate removal or resignation ^[1]. Advocacy groups explicitly urged Congressional leaders to demand resignation and accelerate impeachment because they characterized the solicitation of a foreign investigation as converting the office of the president and the attorney general into instruments for personal political gain ^[1]. It is important to note that the source advancing this demand, Action Network, is an activist petition platform with an explicit political objective—its language and calls to action reflect an organized campaign to compel Congress to act ^[1].

2. Jan. 6 and the incitement argument: resignation demands after the Capitol assault

The most immediate and forceful congressional demands for resignation followed the January 6 attack on the Capitol, after which Democratic leaders and some Republicans publicly asserted that Mr. Trump had “encouraged a mob” that stormed the Capitol to disrupt the certification of Electoral College votes ^[2]. That assault—during which lawmakers were evacuated, the counting of the Electoral College was halted, and a Capitol police officer died—produced resignations within the administration and prompted Democratic congressional leaders to threaten impeachment and to demand that the president leave office ^[2]. The New York Times reporting frames the break by prominent Republicans and administration officials as a direct reaction to Trump's rhetoric and refusal to back down from false election-fraud claims, which many members of Congress described as crossing a constitutional and public-safety line ^[2].

3. How lawmakers translated events into formal resignation demands

Members of Congress based formal demands for resignation on two linked premises in the available reporting: first, that soliciting foreign interference for partisan advantage undermines the rule of law and the separation of powers (as emphasized by activist petitions and some lawmakers) ^[1]; and second, that publicly encouraging or legitimizing violence to obstruct a constitutional process—here, the counting of Electoral College votes—renders continued governance untenable and dangerous, prompting immediate calls for removal ^[2]. Both premises were used to justify urgent action—resignation, impeachment, or both—though the specific legal and political remedies advocated varied across Democrats, Republicans who broke with the president, and outside groups ^{[1] [2]}.

4. Competing narratives and hidden agendas in the push for resignation

The push for resignation combined legal-constitutional arguments with highly political advocacy; the Action Network petition reflects organized activist pressure aimed at accelerating impeachment and resignation timelines ^[1], while mainstream reporting in The New York Times emphasized institutional fallout—resignations, Republican defections, and Democratic impeachment threats—following the Capitol riot ^[2]. Alternative viewpoints existed: some Republicans resisted resignation demands and framed post-election challenges differently, and critics of activist campaigns argued that petitions and media narratives could amplify partisan aims; however, the supplied sources document that both the Ukraine-related pressure allegations and the Jan. 6 incitement claims were the proximate triggers for calls from members of Congress and allied advocates ^{[1] [2]}.

Limitations: this analysis is confined to the provided reporting and cannot adjudicate the full evidentiary record or subsequent legal determinations beyond what those sources report ^{[1] [2]}.