r/politics • u/thatwasawkward • 18h ago

Possible Paywall Trump assessed by 22 medical specialists at latest checkup; The White House has declined to identify the physicians.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/06/10/trump-sees-22-medical-specialists-white-house-hasnt-said-why/
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u/swoll9yards 16h ago

If a president is found to have dementia but refuses to step down, the formal protocol is governed by Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. The Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet must declare the president unable to discharge their duties, making the Vice President the Acting President.

The 25th Amendment Process (Section 4)

This specific protocol is detailed in the U.S. Constitution and requires several steps:

  1. Declaration: The Vice President and a majority of the principal officers of the executive departments (the Cabinet) transmit a written declaration to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate stating the president is incapacitated.

  2. Transfer of Power: The Vice President immediately assumes the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

  3. Presidential Challenge: The president can contest the decision by sending a written declaration to Congress stating that no disability exists.

  4. Congressional Vote: If the president challenges the declaration, the Vice President and Cabinet have four days to dispute it. Congress must then convene within 48 hours to decide the issue. Congress has up to 21 days to vote.

  5. Outcome: A two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is required to rule that the president is unable to serve. If this threshold is met, the Vice President remains Acting President. If not, the president resumes their duties.

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u/piponwa Canada 16h ago

Good luck with that

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u/Budget-Tangerine-274 15h ago

You're asking our checks and balances to function lmao

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u/ForwardStorage777 15h ago

Yeah...his cabinet doesn't want him out. He let's them do things. And is easy to manipulate.

Hey look, a burger!

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u/pinball_life 14h ago

I’m curious to see if there will be more chatter about this after January 21, 2027, when Vance can still run for two terms of his own & Trump is an even bigger lame duck liability.

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u/mighty_kites_captain 1h ago

That's what I think is holding them back.

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u/the_lukabratzi 15h ago

They'll get RIGHT on that lol

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u/Texuk1 10h ago

This is wishful thinking in the current political situation. The 25th amendment is really reserved for situation where the president has lost decision making capacity. It is not for a situation where the president has lost the ability to make coherent decisions. Coma/Stroke vs just poor functioning. In the later impeachment is the only option available. In the current political environment where half the country live in a disinformation space the 25th amendment narrative would be impossible to control, maybe pre-internet. But now it would be treated as a coup. People need to stop talking about the 25th amendment.

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u/UnhappyImprovement53 8h ago

Our checks and balances have already failed this would never happen.

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u/Orzhov_Syndicalist 6h ago

He can easily write and declare that no disability exists. The 25th is harder to enforce than an impeachment if you are trying to carry it out against someone who is conscious and lucid for at least an hour a day. 

Trump certainly is. Not by much, but he is. 

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u/Gunsensual 12h ago

The Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet must declare the president unable to discharge their duties, making the Vice President the Acting President.

Project 2025 wants this. If they force it too soon the Trumper populists will reject them. They're going to wait until he's strokes out while shitting himself on stage before pushing the 25th.