Democrats push 25th Amendment on Trump after dismissing Biden calls

Congressional Democrats want President Donald Trump to be removed from office by emergency measures, even though he has previously rejected similar calls targeting former President Joe Biden.

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have called on Trump’s Cabinet to effectively remove him from office using the 25th Amendment, arguing that Trump is unfit to serve over his comments and actions regarding Iran. Their demands were fueled by the Iranian government’s statement on social media that “an entire civilization will die” if it does not agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“I absolutely think the president should be impeached,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J. “So, he’s unfit for office. I think it’s the 25th Amendment, if not impeachment.”

But less than two years ago, Republicans made the same argument against Biden that Democrats ignored.

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At the time, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., wrote a letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment alongside Vice President Kamala Harris.

“If President Biden does not want to resign, you must do your part to relieve him of his constitutional powers and duties, for the sake of our great nation,” Schmitt wrote.

Now, while only a small group of Senate Democrats advocate for Trump’s impeachment, most of the enthusiasm has come from the House of Representatives.

Democrats’ calls to impeach and remove Trump from office through conviction or the 25th Amendment cannot happen without widespread support from the GOP. But House Democratic leadership continues to provide a platform for these discussions.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., will hold a panelwide briefing on the workings of the 25th Amendment on Friday afternoon.

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Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has not called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked against Biden. However, Pelosi has in recent days reiterated her call for Trump to be ousted from this process. (Nathan Posner/Anatolia via Getty Images)

In the summer of 2024, Republicans called for Biden’s impeachment following his disastrous debate performance against Trump and a report by former Special Counsel Robert Hur that questioned the then-president’s cognitive ability and ability to handle classified documents.

“There’s a lot of people right now asking about the 25th Amendment, citing the 25th Amendment, because it’s concerning,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said at the time.

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“There’s a lot of people right now asking about the 25th Amendment, citing the 25th Amendment, because it’s concerning,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said at the time. (Maria Zuhaib/AP)

“Our enemies, like all of us, see the weakness in the White House,” Johnson added. “I take no pleasure in saying this. I think this is a very dangerous situation.”

Democrats quickly closed ranks and disputed accusations that Biden’s mental acuity was rapidly diminishing. But some have called for Biden to drop out of the race against Trump over fears he won’t be able to beat his political foe in a rematch after stumbling during the single debate.

Top Democrats in Congress, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Y), reportedly privately urged Biden to step aside, and dozens of Democrats publicly called for him to drop out of the race while there was time to find a replacement.

But neither called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked against Biden. However, Pelosi has in recent days reiterated her call for Trump to be ousted from this process.

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Pelosi told X: “Donald Trump’s instability is more obvious and dangerous than ever.” “If the Cabinet is not willing to invoke the 25th Amendment and restore sanity, Republicans must reconvene Congress to end this war.”

Schumer has so far stopped short of calling for Trump to be removed from power.

When pressed about the next move on Iran, Trump joked at a Cabinet meeting in April that his own Cabinet would fire him if he explained what would happen next.

“I can’t say what we’re going to do because if I did I wouldn’t be sitting here very long. What would it probably be called? The 25th Amendment – they would invoke the 25th Amendment,” Trump said. “They didn’t do that to Biden, which is shocking.”