25th Amendment: When Can a President Be Removed?

What is the 25th Amendment?
The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1967, outlines the procedures for replacing a president who is unable to fulfill the duties of office due to death, resignation, removal, or incapacitation.

Remember that time when JFK was assassinated? Yeah, well, the 25th Amendment was born out of that tragedy to prevent a power vacuum in the event of a president's sudden demise or incapacitation.

Section 1: Death, Resignation, or Disability

If a president dies, resigns, or becomes permanently disabled, the vice president automatically becomes president.

Straightforward enough, right? But what if the president is just temporarily out of commission, like when they're getting that pesky wisdom tooth removed?

Section 2: Temporary Disability

The president can voluntarily transfer their powers to the vice president if they anticipate being unable to fulfill their duties, such as during a surgery or extended illness.

Once the president is able to resume their duties, they can simply notify Congress and they're back in the Oval Office.

Section 3: Involuntary Removal

If the vice president and a majority of cabinet members determine that the president is unable to discharge their duties due to mental or physical impairments, they can notify Congress.

This is where it gets juicy. Imagine a president who's had one too many Big Macs and can't remember the nuclear launch codes. Or maybe they're going through a severe bout of alien abduction paranoia. If the vice president and cabinet think they're unfit to serve, they can team up to give them the boot.

Congress then has 21 days to convene and decide whether the president should be removed.

Remember the Watergate scandal? Well, this section was basically written with Richard Nixon in mind. Congress wanted a way to deal with a president who was clinging to power despite being covered in evidence like a cheap suit.

If two-thirds of both the House and Senate vote to remove the president, they're out of the White House faster than a politician dodging a tough question.

The 25th Amendment is a carefully crafted, yet rarely invoked, mechanism to ensure that the government can continue to function even if the president is unable to fulfill their duties. It's a delicate balance between the president's rights and the need to safeguard the nation in the face of adversity.