During a campaign event in Mosinee, Wisconsin, Donald Trump called for a change to the U.S. Constitution’s 25th Amendment, advocating for the removal of any vice president who covers up a president’s incapacity. His comments are part of his ongoing criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris and her defense of President Joe Biden's mental fitness during the 2024 campaign.
Business Insider reported that Trump proposed modifying the 25th Amendment to allow the immediate impeachment and removal of any vice president involved in concealing the president’s mental or physical decline.
At the rally, Trump suggested that the vice president's role in shielding a president from scrutiny, particularly in cases of incapacity, should warrant serious consequences. He emphasized that such actions would be grounds for impeachment and immediate removal from office.
The obvious aim is to hold Harris accountable for her role in covering for Biden's failing health. For Harris to claim that she was unaware about Biden's physical health is beyond unbelievable.
The former president’s remarks came after months of criticism aimed at Kamala Harris, who, according to Trump, has been downplaying concerns about Joe Biden’s capacity to run for a second term. Trump believes that Harris has played a key role in covering up Biden’s declining health, arguing that such behavior undermines the presidency.
"If you do that with a cover-up of the president of the United States, it’s grounds for impeachment immediately and removal from office," Trump said during the Wisconsin rally.
He referred to what he saw as an orchestrated effort to hide Biden's weaknesses from the public and suggested that Harris had been central to this.
Trump’s criticism of the vice president isn’t new. He has repeatedly attacked Harris for defending Biden’s fitness to serve, especially as his age and capacity have become major issues in the 2024 campaign.
Trump expressed frustration with the sudden rise of Kamala Harris in the Democratic presidential race, highlighting a perceived shift in focus from Biden to Harris.
At a Michigan rally on August 29, he suggested that Democrats had begun sidelining Biden in favor of Harris, despite the significant campaign efforts Trump’s team made against Biden.
According to Trump, his campaign spent millions of dollars targeting Biden, only to have Harris take center stage in the election. "We weren’t fighting a vice president. We didn’t even know who the hell she was," Trump said, recalling the moment he believed Harris became more prominent in the race.
His remarks reflected his broader view that Biden’s campaign was faltering and that the Democrats were positioning Harris to take over, effectively pushing Biden out of the spotlight.
Trump’s belief that Harris was taking on a more significant role echoed concerns raised by several within the Republican Party about Biden’s ability to continue as the Democratic nominee.
In defense of Biden, Harris has consistently denied that there is any issue with his mental or physical fitness.
She has been vocal in her support of the president, particularly following a challenging June debate where Biden’s capacity was brought into question by both Democrats and donors.
In a recent CNN interview, Harris reiterated that she had no regrets about defending Biden’s ability to serve another term.
"He has the intelligence, the commitment, and the judgment and disposition that I think the American people rightly deserve in their president," she stated.
Harris’s defense of Biden comes at a time when concerns about his age and mental sharpness have become a focal point for both parties. Trump has capitalized on these concerns, making it a key talking point in his campaign and linking them to his criticisms of Harris.
Both Trump’s and Harris’s representatives did not respond to a comment request made by Business Insider, according to reports.
The request for comment was made outside of business hours, and no further details were provided regarding their potential responses.
While Harris has stood by Biden, Trump's proposal to modify the 25th Amendment underscores the growing political divide over the issue of presidential fitness, particularly with regard to Biden’s age. Trump has positioned himself as a strong critic of both Biden and Harris, using this issue as a central point of attack in his campaign for the presidency.
