It’s time for the 25th Amendment, Section 4. Here’s how we do it…
First, we need JD Vance on board and then at least eight of the 15 congressionally authorized cabinet secretaries. Of those, at least nine people must write a letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, saying that Trump is unable to do the job of president.
Once that letter is sent, JD Vance becomes the acting president. After that, Trump can send his own letter to Johnson and Grassley saying, no, I’m fine. They’re jealous. And he resumes being president. But JD and the secretaries have four days to send another letter to Johnson and Grassley saying, no, he’s crazy, we’re serious.
And then JD resumes being acting president. That third letter being sent triggers a 48 hour period for Congress to assemble, and they have 21 days to vote on this. If two thirds of the House and two thirds of the Senate agree with Vance and the secretaries, then JD continues being acting president. But if both houses can’t reach a two thirds vote, then Trump goes back to being president and, you know, probably fires the secretaries and sends JD on a permanent mission somewhere with shit weather.
This is real and it’s the only constitutional way to remove a sitting president besides impeachment and removal. The reason we have it is because it was written after the Kennedy assassination, and Congress was concerned about a situation where a president wasn’t technically dead, but, you know, brain dead.
And so they wanted to have a way to remove somebody if that was the case. But in the amendment, they didn’t specify that reason. So technically, it can be used for anyone who’s unable to do the job.
Ben Sheehan is a political commentator and digital creator. He specializes in civics education, which is showcased in his latest book, What Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy Is Supposed to Work. Check out his Substack, Politics Made Easy.
