Donald Trump (archive photo): “He spreads AI images in which he compares himself to Jesus Christ,” says Democrat Jamie Raskin. Source: Alex Brandon/AP/dpa
A new committee of Democrats is supposed to check whether the president is still able to act. The plan has little chance – but is politically explosive.
April 15, 2026, 1:04 p.mApril 15, 2026, 2:22 p.m
Anna-Lena Janzen / t-online
A group of Democrats in the US House of Representatives launched a push in Washington on Tuesday to remove President Donald Trump from office using the 25th Amendment. A bill was introduced on Tuesday by Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin. This provides for the establishment of a commission to examine the president’s fitness to hold office. The basis is Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, which was created precisely for such cases – but has never been fully implemented.
Raskin, the highest-ranking Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, justifies the move with growing distrust of Trump. The United States is on a “dangerous precipice,” he explained. It is a matter of national security that Congress act to protect the population from an “increasingly volatile and unstable situation.” “He threatens to destroy entire civilizations, triggers chaos in the Middle East, insults the Pope and spreads AI images comparing himself to Jesus Christ,” said Raskin.
Jamie Raskin (archive photo) Image: US Senate/Reuters
What’s behind the plan
The proposed commission would be a new instrument of power – so far, such a body does not exist, despite the constitutional basis. A 17-member committee is planned, which will be made up of the congressional leadership and will combine medical and political expertise.
Together with the vice president, this commission could determine whether the president is “unable” to carry out his duties. In this case, the Vice President would take over the official duties immediately.
The proposal is currently hardly considered realistic: the bill is supported by 50 Democrats. However, the House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans, who would likely block the project. Even if it were passed, it is certain that Trump would not sign the law. However, if the majority situation changes after the congressional elections in November, the initiative could gain new momentum.
Even then, application of the 25th Amendment would be subject to high hurdles. The decisive factor would not be the approval of the President, but rather that of the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet or a commission set up for this purpose. If the president contradicts this finding, a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress would have to confirm his incapacity for office.
The draft is therefore primarily symbolic – it is part of a series of democratic attacks on Trump’s behavior and health. Raskin had previously called for the 79-year-old to take a cognitive test and publish the results. In political Washington, the Democrats are trying to shift the debate from individual statements by the president to the fundamental question of whether his administration itself has become a risk.
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