Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has called for the removal of President Trump from office under the 25th Amendment due to his threats of an unprecedented military invasion in Chicago. 

On September 30th, President Trump stood before an assembly of military generals at the Quantico Marine Corps Base and outlined a plan to deploy the military to “dangerous” cities like Chicago, Portland, and New York. Trump stated, “We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military … We’re going into Chicago very soon, that’s a big city with an incompetent governor.” He called his plan a “war from within” as he justifies this domestic warfare against civilians by claiming “George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Grover Cleveland, George Bush and others all used the armed forces.” 

Before Trump’s remarks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech summoning commanders to push back against what he called “woke” culture in the ranks. Framing the military as a world apart from ordinary civilians, and, in some ways, superior to them, Hegseth stated, “The Ivy League faculty lounges will never understand us and that’s okay. They could never do what you do. You’re not politically correct, and you don’t always fit into polite society, and that’s exactly why you’re warriors.”

In response, Pritzker questioned the President’s ability to run the country effectively, prompting him to invoke the 25th Amendment. After the assembly, Pritzker stated that “It appears that Donald Trump not only has dementia set in, but he’s copying tactics of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin.” 

Under the 25th Amendment, the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet can declare a president unfit to serve. Under Section 3, a president can voluntarily hand over power to the vice president if they declare themselves temporarily unable to serve, as past presidents have done during medical procedures. But Section 4 allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare the president unfit without his consent. Once that declaration is sent to Congress, the vice president immediately assumes power as Acting President, unless the president challenges it and Congress votes by a two-thirds majority to restore him. 

The chance of Section 3 to be enacted is slim to none as President Trump is not likely to voluntarily consent to hand over the power. Pritzker’s call to enact section 4 has never been done in U.S. history. While the governor has no direct authority to utilize the 25th Amendment himself, his statement is meant to pressure federal officials to act and highlight how he views Trump as a growing national security risk. 

This is not the first time leaders have called to invoke the 25th amendment on Trump’s administration. Trump’s Cabinet has faced this during his first Administration in the aftermath of the January 6 attack, when he lost the previous election and a mob of his supporters stormed Congress. 

Pritzker has gained support from other democratic leaders like Rep. Eric Swalwell, when he tweeted on the day of the Quantico Assembly “25TH AMENDMENT!” Pritzker as Ret. Army General Barry McCaffrey, said that Trump was “incoherent, exhausted and… at times stupid.” Other attendees such as Air Force veteran Gretchen Klingler, director of Veterans for American Ideas at Human Rights First stated that the assembly was “authoritarian and un-American.” 

The call from Governor Pritzker emphasizes just how high the stakes have become. The 25th Amendment was designed as a safeguard for moments while the nation is at risk. Invoking it could prevent further chaos if Trump truly cannot fulfill his duties, but it also risks deepening divisions in an already polarized country.

Whether or not it’s invoked, one thing is clear: the president’s reckless use of military language against American cities is a danger to democracy, and leaders must act before that danger becomes reality.

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