After US President Joe Biden announced that he would step down from running in the US presidential race against Republican candidate Donald Trump, more than 10 Republicans called on Biden to step down, saying that his unwillingness to continue the election campaign raises questions about his ability to continue ruling.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senator J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for Vice President Donald Trump in the November 5 elections, and other lawmakers urged the current president (81 years old) to step down from office.
“If Joe Biden is not qualified to run for president, then he is not fit to serve as president,” said Johnson, who follows Biden in line for the presidency after the vice president. “He must resign from office immediately.”
As Vance wrote on X: “If Joe Biden ends his re-election campaign, how can he justify remaining president?”
Others, including Republican Senator Markwayne Mullen, called on the Biden government to remove him from office by invoking the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution.
Biden insisted in his statement that he would finish his term, which ends on January 20, 2025, and his fellow Democrats criticized the calls for Biden to step down, describing them as “ridiculous.”
The 25th Amendment to the US Constitution stipulates that the Vice President must replace the President in the event of his death while in office or his resignation, or if members of the President’s Cabinet declare that the President is unable to perform the duties of his office.
How does Article 25 work?
Under the amendment, the vice president and 15 key Cabinet officials can submit a “written declaration” that the president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties” of the presidency.
This declaration shall then be sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate, whereupon the Vice President shall "immediately assume" the powers of the presidency, according to Section 4 of the 25th Amendment.
The President can then veto the Cabinet announcement and resume his position as President.
The Cabinet and Vice President would then have a 4-day period to decide whether or not to effectively override the President's objection, at which point Congress would have 48 hours to decide.
The decision requires a two-thirds majority of both chambers to take effect, which is unexpected.
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