Camilla Jessen
What the 25th Amendment is and why Democrats are invoking it.
Several Democrats have urged Trump’s cabinet and Congress to invoke the 25th Amendment following reports of a message Trump sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, according to USA Today.
Representative Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California were among those calling for action after the text message surfaced.
In the message, sent on January 18, Trump wrote: “Given that your country has decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping 8 PLUS wars, I no longer feel obligated to think exclusively about peace.”
‘Last straw’ moment
Some critics described the message as “the last straw,” arguing it reflected diminished judgment.
“The President of the United States is suffering from extreme mental illness that puts us all at risk,” Ansari wrote on January 19. “The 25th Amendment exists for a good reason – we must invoke it immediately.”
Kamlager-Dove posted the same day, “Donald Trump is unfit to lead and is clearly out of control. Invoke the 25th Amendment.”
Markey echoed the call, writing repeatedly, “Invoke the 25th Amendment.”
What the amendment does
The 25th Amendment governs presidential succession and incapacity.
Its first sections clarify that the vice president assumes office if a president dies, resigns, or is removed, and they establish how a new vice president is appointed.
Section 3 allows a president to voluntarily transfer power temporarily, often during medical procedures. Section 4 outlines a process for involuntary transfer if a president is deemed unable to perform duties.
How Section 4 works
Under Section 4, the vice president and a majority of cabinet members can declare the president incapacitated, making the vice president acting president.
The president may contest the declaration, triggering a congressional vote.
Two-thirds of both the House and Senate would be required to keep the vice president in power, according to the National Constitution Center.
Legal scholars cited by USA Today say the threshold for using Section 4 is extremely high. No support has emerged from Vice President J.D. Vance or any cabinet members.
Yale Law School has argued that traits such as poor judgment or carelessness alone do not meet the standard for incapacity.
Never fully used
While parts of the 25th Amendment have been used during medical procedures by Presidents Reagan, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden, Section 4 has never been invoked.
That history makes any attempt to apply it now both unprecedented and politically unlikely.
Sources: USA Today, National Constitution Center, Congressional Research Service, Britannica, Social media
