“A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris,” Nikki Haley declared in September 2023. Ahead of the 2024 election, it was a familiar drumbeat, one constantly hammered by MAGA supporters. Any vote for Biden, in his fracturing mental state, was an assured vote for his Vice President Kamala Harris instead. But as MAGA finds themselves on the other end of the “too old to be president” calls, the movement and its supporters will hear nothing of the sort.
Even as Donald Trump appears to exhibit dementia-related “sundowning” behavior onstage, openly rambles in his speeches, and hides from the public eye, the 78-year-old is still seen as infallible by his loyal followers. The frustrating dichotomy has been rampantly criticized by the Left ever since Biden dropped out of the race, but some warn that as usual, every accusation is a confession from the Right. Once Trump is securely in office, that same cognitive decline could pave the way for Republicans to lean on the 25th amendment and rocket JD Vance to the highest office in America.
It sounds like a plot from House of Cards, but the power the amendment can give a Vice President – in the right circumstances – is very real. It allows the government to act quickly in a crisis and rapidly restructure the hierarchy if the president is compromised. The 25th Amendment says that upon the “removal, death or resignation” of the president, the “Vice President shall become President.”
Not too much to worry about there, but the amendment’s clauses have sparked concern. The 3rd clause allows a president to step down if they believe they are unfit for office, allowing the Vice President to seamlessly assume presidential duties. The new president then gets to nominate their own vice president, who has to be confirmed by a majority vote in both the House – which has been Republican-controlled since 2022 – and the Senate.
Essentially, the 25th ensures a speedy removal of any president deemed unfit, or, more concerning, allows the President to simply walk away. It’s the idea that Trump could win, only to pardon himself of the 34 counts against him and immediately pass the title to Vance that has people spooked.
The Lincoln Project was one of the first groups to latch onto the idea. The political group ran an anti-Vance ad in early October directed at former President Trump that claimed, “Republicans want someone younger, smarter, someone stable, a leader who will executive Project 2025 without your problems.”
The unsubstantiated claims took off like wildfire online, with users pointing to the unofficial 2024 election’s boogeyman – Project 2025. Trump has claimed no connection to the far-right “master plan” proposed by the Heritage Foundation, but the nearly 1000-page Handmaid’s Tale-inspired document has ties back to many in his former administration. And while Trump can make all the claims he likes about what he does and doesn’t know, Vance has been less obfuscating with his answers. Trump’s running mate has failed to acknowledge the 2020 election loss, mirrors the document’s talking points on abortion and women’s health care, supports the end of the Department of Education, and claims higher education is for pursuing, “deceit and lies.”
The ringing endorsements the candidate has gotten from far-right billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk don’t ease any minds either. Vance was a next-to-nobody senator before being shot to fame by his billionaire backers. Even now, he’s more unpopular than Sarah Palin ever was. If it weren’t for Trump, he would never have gotten close to the ticket. Come November, we have to ensure he never makes it close to the office.
Published: Oct 15, 2024 03:40 pm