The 25th Amendment - Interesting and lots of information

The 25th Amendment addresses succession to the presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the vice president and responding to presidential disabilities.

Interesting Fact: During Donald Trump's term, some initiated dialog about invoking Section 4 of the 25th Amendment against him. Still, the 25th Amendment exists to protect the democratically-elected President and the line of succession. It makes it difficult to unseat a President without proven just cause and majority consensus. TRUMP SQUASHED THAT IDEA

There is deep concern and we have seen evidence about the mental incompetence of Biden, which may push him out of his position as President. Could you imagine Kamala Harris or even Nancy Pelosi  succeeding to become President? Cringeworthy.

The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution addresses what happens to the presidency and vice-presidency if the president and/or vice president dies, resigns or becomes incapacitated or disabled. Passed by Congress on July 6, 1965, the 25th Amendment was ratified by the states on February 10, 1967. Invoking the 25th Amendment has always been controversial, especially Article 4, which allows for removal of a president who is deemed incapacitated by any kind of illness—including mental illness—or injury.

What Is the 25th Amendment?

The need for a succession amendment came to light when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, and there was confusion about whether Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson had also been injured and, if so, who would take their places in the line of succession.

Presidential Line of Succession

Prior to the 25th Amendment, presidential succession procedures existed, but they were vague and didn’t cover every contingency. Assumedly, the vice president would become president if the president died or resigned.

However, it wasn’t clear what should happen if the president was temporarily incapacitated or if the vice president was incapacitated. The 25th Amendment sought to address these concerns.

The original Constitution allowed for the vice president to become acting president if the president died, resigned or became debilitated, but it didn’t state who had the power to declare the president unfit to serve or prevent the president from returning to office.

In addition, it didn’t specify if an acting president should take over the “Office of the President” or only perform presidential duties until the president returned or a qualified replacement was found.

Presidential Succession Act

The Constitution also didn’t indicate who would assume the vice-presidency if the vice president became president, died or was debilitated. It only said that Congress could declare, “what Officer shall then act as President.”

In February 1792, Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act, placing the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate in the line of succession. INSERT SCAREY THOUGHT OF NANCY PELOSI SUCCEDING AS OUR PRESIDENT

In 1943, the 20th Amendment cleared the way for the vice-president elect to become president if the president-elect died or was debilitated. In 1947, Congress reinstated the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore to the line of succession ahead of the president’s cabinet members.

Whether all these changes were done in the best interest of American citizens, or to take advantage of a crisis and control who ruled the White House, is still a matter of debate.

Succession Confusion Before the 25th Amendment

Until the 25th Amendment, each administration came up with its own plan to handle presidential and vice-presidential vacancies and reinstatement. This ambiguity led to confusion, ambiguity and in some cases, deceit.

For instance, in 1841, President William Harrison became the first president to die in office; vice president John Tyler succeeded him. Harrison’s cabinet gave Tyler the title, “Vice President Acting President,” but Tyler wanted more.

He moved into the White House, had himself sworn in as president and assumed full presidential powers, including giving an Inaugural Address. Despite some controversy, Congress eventually confirmed Tyler’s presidency.

In 1919, after having a series of strokes and ignoring warning signs of ill-health and neurological problems, President Woodrow Wilson had a massive stroke from which he never recovered during his presidency.

When his Cabinet suggested the vice president take over, Wilson’s wife Edith and his doctor, Cary Grayson, conspired to keep his condition a secret from both Congress and the public, leaving the United States without a competent leader.
SOUND FAMILIAR?  INSERT JILL BIDEN CONSPIRING HIDING JOE BIDENS DETERIORATING MENTAL HEALTH

After suffering heart problems and a mild stroke, President Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote a confidential letter to Vice President Richard M. Nixon instructing him on what to do if he was incapacitated. Eisenhower identified Nixon as the person who should determine his inability to perform his duties.

The letter wasn’t legal, however, and although Nixon became acting president when Eisenhower had a heart attack in 1955 and again when he had surgery in 1956, Nixon was never sworn in as president during Eisenhower’s terms.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment has never been used, although the Reagan administration came close. On March 30, 1981, after President Reagan was shot and undergoing surgery, his administration prepared the necessary papers to invoke the 25th Amendment and make Vice President George H.W. Bush acting president.

The papers were never signed, despite some members of Reagan’s administration, Congress and even his doctor advising otherwise.

In 1987, Ronald Reagan was described as inattentive, distracted, lazy and inept by several concerned members of his staff, who suggested invoking Section 4 to remove him from office.

His new chief of staff, Howard Baker, soon determined he was anything but incapacitated and took no action against Reagan. (Reagan was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.)

Portions of the 25th Amendment have been invoked several times.

In 1973, Spiro Agnew became the first vice president to resign due to scandal after being charged with political corruption. The 25th Amendment required then-President Richard Nixon to nominate a new vice president for Congressional approval. Nixon appointed Gerald Ford and Congress approved the nomination.

In August 1974, the 25th Amendment compelled Vice President Gerald Ford to become president after Nixon resigned. This left the vice presidency unoccupied, so Ford invoked the 25th amendment again and nominated Nelson Rockefeller to fill the vacancy.

On July 13, 1985, President Ronald Reagan used the 25th Amendment to transfer power to Vice President George H.W. Bush while he underwent surgery for colon cancer.

On June 29, 2002, President George W. Bush invoked Section 3 of the 25th Amendment prior to going under anesthesia for a colonoscopy and briefly made Vice President Dick Cheney the acting president. He did the same again when he had another colonoscopy in 2007.

Resource: https://www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/25th-amendment