Following his lackluster debate performance on Thursday night, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated on Friday that members of President Biden’s Cabinet ought to think about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office.
Biden struggled to respond to certain questions and had a sluggish, uncertain performance on Thursday night.
Democrats were alarmed by it, and some even called for Biden to withdraw from consideration for the presidency.
“There’s a lot of people asking about the 25th Amendment, invoking the 25th Amendment right now because this is an alarming situation. Our adversaries see the weakness in this White House as we all do. I take no pleasure in saying that. I think this is a very dangerous situation.” Johnson said.
“I would ask the Cabinet members to search their hearts,” Johnson continued, mentioning reports that Democrats are panicking. I would be panicking too if I were a Democrat today and that was my nominee. I think they know they have a serious problem.” he continued.
“But it’s not just political. It’s not just the Democratic Party. It’s the entire country. We have a serious problem here, because we have a president who, by all appearances, is not up to the task. And these are very dangerous times. This is a very serious moment in American history. And it needs to be regarded and handled as such. And we hope that they will do their duty, as we all seek to do our duty to do best for the American people.” he added.
The vice president and the majority of the Cabinet may vote to declare a president incapable of carrying out the responsibilities and powers of his office, in which case the vice president assumes the role of acting president, according to the Constitution’s 25th Amendment, which controls presidential succession.
If the president disputes his ability to carry out the duties of the office, Congress will be consulted before deciding whether to grant the vice president acting presidential authority through a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.
The vice president and the Cabinet have never ruled a president ineligible to hold office before.
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