Which presidents have been subject to 25th Amendment discussions or attempts?

1. The narrow set of formal invocations — what actually happened

The 25th Amendment’s Section 3 (voluntary temporary transfer) has been used sparingly: Ronald Reagan’s team invoked it around brief procedures, George W. Bush invoked it in 2002 before a colonoscopy, and Joe Biden invoked it in November 2021 during a colonoscopy ^{[4] [1] [3]}. Those events established precedent for short, planned transfers of authority and demonstrated the amendment’s ordinary functioning for routine medical procedures ^{[4] [1]}.

2. The closest calls — Section 4 and the post‑Jan. 6 effort

Section 4 (involuntary transfer when the President is “unable to discharge” duties) has never resulted in removal. After the January 6, 2021 attack, reporting and subsequent summaries document that some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members considered asking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke Section 4; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly sought that as an alternative to immediate impeachment ^[2]. Congress and scholars emphasize the high political and procedural thresholds in Section 4, explaining why attempts rarely proceed to formal removal ^{[4] [1]}.

3. Repeated public calls and partisan debate — presidents discussed but not formally targeted

Beyond formal uses or Cabinet deliberations, multiple presidents have been the subject of public calls or commentary urging 25th Amendment action. Donald Trump has been a frequent focus of such calls—both in 2021 after January 6 and again in 2025 when governors and commentators urged invocation amid controversial remarks—yet those were public demands, not documented Cabinet‑led Section 4 filings ^{[2] [5] [6] [7]}. The literature and news coverage show the Amendment often becomes a political rallying point during crises even when formal criteria are unmet ^{[8] [6]}.

4. Historical roots and intent — why the amendment exists

Congress adopted the 25th Amendment after the Kennedy assassination to fill gaps in succession and incapacity procedures; it was designed for continuity, not routine politics ^{[9] [1]}. The amendment provides three mechanics: succession to the vice presidency when the president dies/resigns (Section 1/2), voluntary temporary transfers (Section 3), and involuntary transfer via the vice president plus a majority of the Cabinet and a possible Congressional tiebreaker (Section 4) ^{[1] [10]}.

5. Why Section 4 is rare in practice — institutional and political barriers

Scholars and congressional analyses stress that Section 4 is deliberately difficult: it requires the vice president plus a majority of the principal officers to transmit a written declaration, and if the president disputes it, Congress must resolve the dispute by a two‑thirds vote in both houses ^{[1] [10]}. The Library of Congress and policy analysts note the amendment’s safeguards were intended to prevent partisan weaponization, making involuntary removal a steep, politically fraught process ^{[4] [3]}.

6. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas in recent debates

Commentators who urged 25th Amendment action typically argue it protects the republic from an incapacitated or dangerous leader; critics warn such calls are politicized and could be abused, underscoring why designers built high thresholds ^{[6] [11]}. Some coverage frames calls to use the amendment as principled safeguards (e.g., public‑safety arguments in 2025 reporting), while legal scholars and congressional reports emphasize institutional reluctance to deploy Section 4 absent clear medical incapacity ^{[6] [4]}.

7. What the sources do and do not document

Available sources document: formal Section 3 uses for Reagan, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden, Cabinet deliberations about invoking Section 4 in January 2021 regarding Donald Trump, and renewed public calls in 2025 to consider the amendment against Trump ^{[4] [1] [3] [2] [5]}. Available sources do not mention any successful Section 4 removal of a sitting president — that has not occurred in the reporting provided (not found in current reporting).