Former CIA Director John Brennan claimed the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was written with Donald Trump in mind. This statement comes as tensions over Trump’s handling of Iran continue to rise. Brennan made these comments during a TV interview with Ali Velshi of MS NOW.
Brennan specifically pointed toward the immense responsibility that the President shoulders:
“I think the 25th Amendment was written with Donald Trumps in mind, because allowing someone like this to continue to be the commander-in-chief and to control the tremendous capabilities of the U.S. military, including our nuclear weapons capability, which he seemed to allude to when he said he’s going to just eliminate an entire civilization.”
Brennan’s remarks are based on Trump’s increasingly extreme comments about Iran, especially in the past week.
Trump threatened to unleash hell on Tehran unless they opened the Strait of Hormuz. But it was his promise to destroy an entire civilization that caught everyone off guard and led to international criticism.
Now, there’s a blockade, which Brennan described as acting like a colonial or pirate power.
This has led to strong backlash from many members of Congress, with more than 70 Democrats calling for Trump’s removal. Even some of his former allies, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, criticized him, mentioning the 25th Amendment.
Just after that extreme threat, Trump announced a two-week pause on Tuesday.
However, many lawmakers pointed out that he had explicitly warned of genocide. Brennan stressed how serious the current situation is, calling it “very, very troubling times.”
The legal process being discussed by these Democrats is the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
According to Reuters, this amendment was passed in 1967 after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Its main role is to explain how the presidency can move on to the next leader if needed, ensuring the country always has a functioning leader.
Section 3 of the amendment has been used before when a president knew they would be temporarily unable to perform their duties, such as when Joe Biden had a colonoscopy in 2021.
Section 4 is about removing a president if they’re judged to be unfit, and it requires the vice president and a majority of the cabinet, or another group chosen by Congress, to declare the president incapable of doing their job.
If a president disagreed with this decision, Congress would need to meet within 48 hours.
To remove the president, they would need a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Experts like Scott Anderson, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, say that using the amendment to remove a president is unlikely without a huge shift from the president’s own party.
Since the Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the Senate and the House, any attempt to use the amendment would be a tough fight.
The political situation is further complicated by the fact that Trump still has strong support from his base.
Recent reports show that around 82% of Republicans are still satisfied with his presidency, even as his overall approval ratings drop. Democratic lawmakers are also thinking about the political risks of trying to remove Trump.
Some members of the party have said that focusing on impeachment or removal efforts might not be the best use of time, especially as they work on policy issues like job growth and inflation before the upcoming midterms.
Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pa) said she believes Trump has committed many serious offenses, but she’s not sure that pushing for impeachment is the best way forward.
Republicans have strongly opposed the push for removal.
House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the Democratic approach, saying they have no clear message or plan and are simply showing an irrational dislike for the president.
As the debate continues, it highlights the deep divisions in Washington over the limits of executive power and how the country should respond to Trump’s recent actions on the international stage.
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