Has the 25th amendment been invoked concerning trump
Executive summary
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment has never been formally invoked to remove or suspend President Trump; instead, it has been the subject of recurring calls and discussion at moments of political alarm, notably after January 6, 2021 and more recently over public remarks and messages that some lawmakers and commentators described as evidence of incapacity [1] [2] 2026/01/21/what-is-25th-amendment-president-trump/88284100007/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[3]. Despite vocal demands from some Democrats and opinion writers, no vice president and majority of Cabinet have transmitted a Section 4 declaration against Trump, and legal and political obstacles make such an effort unprecedented and difficult [1] [4].
1. What people mean when they say “invoke the 25th” and why that hasn’t happened
Invoking the Twenty-Fifth Amendment in the sense most critics mean points to Section 4, under which the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet can declare a president “unable to discharge the powers and duties” and temporarily transfer authority, a process that, if contested, goes to Congress for a final decision [1]. That mechanism has never been used to remove or permanently displace a president; parts of the amendment have been used for voluntary, temporary transfers of power for medical procedures but Section 4 itself remains unused historically, which creates both constitutional uncertainty and political risk for participants [5] [1].
2. The moments when invocation was urged and who urged it
After the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, Democratic leaders and some unnamed senior administration officials reportedly urged immediate consideration of the 25th as an emergency option, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly urged Vice President Pence to consider the step as an alternative to impeachment, while some Cabinet members were said to have discussed it privately [2] [6]. In 2026 a new wave of calls followed a peculiar text to Norway’s prime minister and other public remarks; senators and House members including Ed Markey and Rep. Yassamin Ansari publicly urged invocation, and commentators across outlets from TIME to The Daily Beast amplified the demand [7] [3] [8] [9].
3. Why legal experts and political actors treat the idea cautiously
Scholars and institutional guides stress that Section 4’s language, the absence of a settled administrative practice for involuntary removal, and the requirement that Congress can override a presidential objection with a two‑thirds vote in both houses make Section 4 both constitutionally fraught and politically costly to execute [1] [5]. Commentaries noting President Trump’s age and behavior have spurred debate about fitness for office and whether the amendment could ever be used in a modern presidency, but such debates remain theoretical absent Cabinet action because the amendment delegates enforcement to political actors who must accept severe reputational and institutional consequences [4] [9].
4. Politics, motives and the practical reality on the ground
Calls to “invoke the 25th” have come largely from political opponents, alarmed lawmakers, and opinion writers—actors with incentives to highlight presidential instability—while allies and Trump himself have dismissed the idea, framing it as partisan harassment or alarmism [4] [10]. Some critics and even scholars argued in 2021 that the amendment was precisely the safeguard needed to protect the republic; others warned that weaponizing Section 4 would set a dangerous precedent and further polarize governance [6] [1]. The practical reality remains plain in the record compiled by reporting: there have been demands, private discussions, and public posturing, but no formal invocation by the vice president and Cabinet, and no transfer of power under Section 4 against President Trump [2] [3] [1].