US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said President Donald Trump represents a “clear and present danger” to the nation and must be impeached.

Ms Pelosi said in a House speech that members of Congress and the country as a whole “experienced the insurrection that violated the sanctity of the people’s Capitol and attempted to overturn the duly recorded will of the American people″ in the presidential election.

She said: “We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country.

Nancy Pelosi (Alex Brandon/AP)
Nancy Pelosi (Alex Brandon/AP)

“He must go.

“He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.”

Ms Pelosi said Mr Trump has “repeatedly lied” about the outcome of the election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden and Mr Trump has “sowed self-serving doubt about democracy and unconstitutionally sought to influence state officials to repeat this armed rebellion against our country”.

The House is set to vote on Wednesday afternoon on impeaching Mr Trump, accusing him of rallying a violent mob of supporters to attack the Capitol last week.