Trump advocates for changes to the 25th Amendment to allow the impeachment of vice presidents

25th amendment

The 25th Amendment outlines presidential succession and the procedure for removing a president, requiring the vice president's support and the backing of a majority of the president’s cabinet. Former President Donald Trump has suggested altering the 25th Amendment to allow the removal of a vice president who "lies or conspires to hide the president’s incapacity."

At a campaign rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, Trump stated, “If there’s a cover-up involving the president of the United States, it should be grounds for immediate impeachment and removal from office, because that’s exactly what they did.”

After a turbulent presidential debate on June 27, President Joe Biden eventually ended his re-election campaign. Following this, Vice President Kamala Harris faced accusations from Trump and other Republicans of covering up Biden’s alleged mental health decline. Although Harris has not publicly addressed Trump’s claims, she has consistently defended Biden’s capacity to lead, stating that he is fit to serve another term.

In a statement to CNN, Harris affirmed, “President Biden has the intelligence, commitment, judgment, and temperament that the American people deserve in their president.” The 25th Amendment, however, does not include provisions for removing a vice president.

As reported by CNN, Trump was impeached twice by the US House of Representatives during his presidency from 2016 to 2020, but the Senate did not remove him from office.