Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki has delivered a stark reality check to fellow Democrats, dismissing their persistent calls to remove President Donald Trump from power via the 25th Amendment as utterly unrealistic and unlikely to succeed.
Psaki's Blunt Assessment on SiriusXM
Appearing on Stephen A. Smith's Straight Shooter show on SiriusXM, Psaki addressed the growing Democratic enthusiasm for invoking the constitutional mechanism that allows for a president's removal on grounds of mental incapacity. "I have no issue with people saying they're for invoking the 25th Amendment, but it's not going to happen," Psaki stated bluntly. "So, it's like, why are we spending so much time, you know?"
Recent Developments Fueling the Debate
The discussion has gained renewed urgency following a Wall Street Journal report alleging President Trump was excluded from a military briefing about a daring rescue mission to retrieve two U.S. airmen downed in Iran due to concerns about his erratic temperament. The newspaper described Trump engaging in an hours-long tantrum, reportedly raging that a failed rescue could mean the end of his presidency.
In response, New York Democratic Representative Daniel Goldman took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to declare: "The commander-in-chief was excluded from commanding a military operation because he was acting so crazy. Think about that. Trump is not well. We need the 25th Amendment before something really bad happens on U.S. soil."
Legislative Efforts and Political Reality
Last week, fifty House Democrats introduced legislation that would allow Congress to study the president's fitness for office and potentially move to remove him using the amendment. This comes amid rising concern about Trump's violent rhetoric towards Tehran and his bizarre public criticisms of Pope Leo XIV.
The proposed bill would create a commission to assess whether the emergency amendment should be invoked. However, as Psaki correctly notes, such an outcome stands little chance of being realized in practical terms. The 25th Amendment requires the approval of both the vice president and a majority of the cabinet before it can be enacted - a political hurdle that appears insurmountable in the current climate.
Bipartisan Calls and Psychological Analysis
Interestingly, calls for Trump's removal have come from unexpected quarters, including rebels on the right such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Candace Owens, and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. "How do we 25th Amendment his ass?" Jones asked recently on his InfoWars show, responding to Trump's increasingly wild rhetoric about Tehran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused global oil prices to spike dramatically.
Former CIA director John Brennan previously told Ali Velshi on Psaki's own network that the 25th Amendment clause was explicitly written with presidents like Trump "in mind." Meanwhile, Psaki offered psychological insight into why Democrats might be pursuing this course, suggesting many feel "their entire identity is being questioned and challenged" by the president and his policies.
Psaki's Broader Critique of Democratic Strategy
During her SiriusXM appearance, Psaki expanded her critique beyond just the 25th Amendment discussion. She suggested that for many progressives, a way to "consider themselves progressive" in these trying political times is by "screaming at the top of their lungs about everything that comes out of the Trump administration."
While acknowledging that she herself is "outraged by a lot of it," Psaki cautioned that "I don't think screaming about every single thing is the most constructive thing." She argued that such blanket criticism ultimately amounts to little more than background noise that can be easily ignored, unlike more targeted and strategic political opposition.
The former press secretary's comments highlight the growing divide within Democratic ranks about how best to oppose a president whose behavior continues to defy conventional political norms while maintaining realistic expectations about what constitutional remedies might actually be achievable.
