Calls Grow for Kamala Harris to Invoke 25th Amendment to Remove Biden From Office
Following President Joe Biden’s widely criticized performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, the political landscape has been shaken. Two Republican senators have now publicly urged Vice President Kamala Harris and the Cabinet to consider invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office.
As reported by The Daily Signal on Friday, June 28, 2024, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rick Scott (R-FL) both took to social media to express their belief that the debate has pushed the country into “25th Amendment territory.”
The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, provides a process for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare the president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” at which point the vice president would become the acting president.
“We’ve definitely entered 25th Amendment territory,” Sen. Lee wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Sen. Scott echoed these sentiments, stating, “If you think Democrats in Washington and across the country aren’t talking about the 25th Amendment right now, you’re crazy.”
Throughout the debate, Biden’s performance was marked by a raspy voice, verbal stumbles, and moments of rambling, leading many to question his mental acuity and fitness for the presidency. Former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill bluntly stated that Biden “failed” to reassure the American people that he is up to the job at his advanced age of 81.
The calls for invoking the 25th Amendment have put Vice President Harris in a delicate position. While she dismissed concerns about Biden’s debate performance, stating that it was a “slow start” but a “strong finish,” she did not directly address the growing calls for her to remove the president from office.
Legal experts have noted that Congress has no power to compel the 25th Amendment’s invocation, as it is a process that must be initiated by the vice president and the Cabinet. However, the public pressure from Republican lawmakers and pundits could increase the political pressure on Harris and Biden’s Cabinet to at least consider taking such a drastic step.
The debate’s aftermath has also reignited the broader discussion about the advanced ages of both Biden and Trump, who is 77 years old. Some have argued that the physical and cognitive demands of the presidency may be too much for candidates of such advanced years, raising questions about the long-term viability of their candidacies.
As the 2024 election cycle heats up, the repercussions of Biden’s debate performance and the calls for invoking the 25th Amendment are likely to remain a hot-button issue. The future of Biden’s presidency could hinge on the decisions of Vice President Harris and the Cabinet, who will need to carefully navigate the complex political and constitutional challenges of such a significant move.
