Efforts to remove President Trump from office intensified this week after lawmakers moved toward invoking the Constitution’s 25th Amendment — a step that would elevate JD Vance to the presidency.
On Tuesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin introduced legislation tied to the 25th Amendment, arguing that Trump’s “escalating erratic conduct” and his warning that Iran’s “whole civilization will die tonight” justify initiating a formal process to oust him.
The amendment has been used before when presidents temporarily transferred authority during medical procedures, allowing the vice president to exercise presidential powers during a period of incapacity. However, it has never been successfully used as a mechanism to force a president out of office.
That history is partly due to how difficult it is to apply the amendment’s more untested provisions. In this case, Raskin is also taking a route designed to culminate in a scenario where Vice President Vance is positioned to assume the top job.
The proposal from Raskin — backed by 50 Democrats — would set up a commission composed of senior congressional figures, former executive-branch officials, and medical specialists. Its purpose would be to assess whether Trump’s recent behavior reaches the threshold for triggering the 25th Amendment.
This methodical strategy differs from numerous earlier efforts to push Trump out of power, including two impeachments that ultimately failed to secure conviction in the Senate.
“Public trust in Donald Trump’s ability to meet the duties of his office has dropped to unprecedented lows as he threatens to destroy entire civilizations, unleashes chaos in the Middle East while violating Congressional war powers, aggressively insults the Pope of the Catholic Church and sends out artistic renderings online likening himself to Jesus Christ,” Raskin said in a statement.
The statement continued: “We are at a dangerous precipice, and it is now a matter of national security for Congress to fulfill its responsibilities under the 25th Amendment to protect the American people from an increasingly volatile and unstable situation.”
The 25th Amendment lays out constitutional procedures for situations in which a president dies or becomes unable to carry out the responsibilities of the office. It also defines the vice president’s role and the steps by which executive authority is transferred.
Approved in 1967 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, it states that the vice president immediately becomes president if the sitting president dies, resigns, or is removed. It also provides that the new president nominates a replacement vice president, who must be confirmed by both the House and Senate.
Separately, it allows a president to voluntarily hand power to the vice president during a temporary inability to serve — such as undergoing surgery with general anesthesia — and then resume authority afterward.
For lawmakers focused on removing Trump, the most relevant provision is Section Four, which provides a route for involuntary removal if the vice president and a majority of the cabinet agree the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of office.
Even then, the standard is steep: Congress would have to sign off with a two-thirds vote to sustain the removal.
Raskin’s bill is intended to lay groundwork and build broader support before any attempt is made to formally trigger the 25th Amendment, using the proposed commission to determine whether invocation is warranted.
Although persuading a Republican-led Congress — along with members of Trump’s own cabinet — to support such a move would be a major challenge, calls for action have grown louder in recent days from a wide range of voices.
Former CIA Director and outspoken Trump critic John Brennan said: “I think the 25th Amendment was written with Donald Trumps in mind, because allowing someone like this to continue to be the commander-in-chief and to control the tremendous capabilities of the U.S. military, including our nuclear weapons capability, which he seemed to allude to when he said he’s going to just eliminate an entire civilization…
“Again, we really are in very, very troubling times.”
Pressure has also come from unexpected quarters. InfoWars host, conspiracy theorist, and early MAGA supporter Alex Jones even asked on his show – “How do we 25th Amendment his ass?”