President Trump’s Potential Removal from Office

Greg Wang, Staff Writer

After the rioting at the Capitol, many are demanding the removal of President Trump for inciting the violent riots that occurred and doing very little to stop them. On Jan. 6, President Trump used rhetoric that did little to discourage more violence and may have incited even more with his tweets. Prominent Democrats have called for his immediate resignation, and have threatened to impeach him or have Vice President Mike Pence invoke the 25th Amendment if he refuses.

The quickest way to remove President Trump would be the use of the 25th Amendment, which was ratified on Feb. 10, 1967. The amendment was created in the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, as the Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was known to have health issues, and the next two candidates were 71 and 86 years old. The amendment was originally intended to dictate the process by which a president could be removed from office if he was unfit to serve, most likely due to illness. According to Section 3 of the 25th Amendment, the president would submit a written declaration that he was unable to serve, and would be replaced by the vice president. However, Section 4 of the amendment states that the vice president would be able to wrest power from the president if they gained the support of the majority of the cabinet, and the attempt gained the approval of two-thirds of both Houses of Congress. However, this is unlikely to happen, as Mr. Pence is unlikely to follow through with this process.

In the House of Representatives, Democrats have already drafted articles of impeachment against President Trump, citing “incitement of insurrection.” Those who do support impeachment believe that the actions of President Trump warrant his removal, despite the short amount of time left in his tenure as president. Following the events of Jan. 6, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and other House Democrats drafted articles of impeachment. The move for impeachment is supported by many Democrats, and some Republicans have voiced their support for the move as well, as many begin to distance themselves from Mr. Trump. However, some oppose the move to impeach, citing the lack of time and the division they think it will bring. 

Trump’s impeachment and removal would prevent him from running for office in 2024, as well as remove his post-presidential benefits, such as a pension and health annuities. However, the outcome of this process remains to be seen.

 

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