Trump calls second impeachment effort a continuation of a ‘witch hunt’

US President Donald Trump called the effort by House Democrats to impeach him for a second time a "witch hunt" as he emerged from seclusion Tuesday to travel to Alamo, Texas, where he plans to tour a section of the border wall constructed during his tenure.

The visit will mark his first public event since a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol last week, reports the Washington Post.

"We want no violence,"the US President said as he left the White House to travel to the US-Mexico border. 

Trump, who spoke to reporters as he departed the White House en route to Texas, used the same term he deployed repeatedly to describe investigations into possible coordination between his campaign and Russia in the 2016 election campaign and the issue at hand in his first impeachment: overtures to Ukraine that could help him in the 2020 election.

He went on to condemn the Democrat's latest effort to impeach him over claims that he attempted to incite a violent insurrection against the US government last week. He decried the efforts of Democrats to hold him responsible.

Impeachment, Trump said, is a "continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics".

Trump also has said his speech before last week's deadly Capitol riot, when he urged his supporters to march on Congress, was "totally appropriate" and dismissed "ridiculous" efforts by Democrats in Congress to impeach him for inciting insurrection.

"I think it's causing tremendous anger," he added.

The House could vote on impeachment as soon as Wednesday.

President-elect Joe Biden plans to meet with transition advisers Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware, as he prepares to enter the White House next week.