Gavin Newsom Suggests 25th Amendment for Trump After Speech on Election Integrity

California Governor Gavin Newsom sparked online discussions on Thursday evening by suggesting invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump. Newsom’s response came after Trump delivered a speech on election integrity, leading Newsom to describe Trump’s behavior as a sign of cognitive impairment.

“The only thing missing in Donald Trump’s speech was tin foil. This was a legitimate 25th Amendment moment — the rambling of a mad king,” Newsom stated. His remarks joined ongoing Democratic calls to assess Trump’s mental fitness, which drew comparisons to past criticisms from Republicans regarding President Joe Biden’s mental state.

“You literally propped up a vegetable and lied to the American people about his cognitive decline for four years and never mentioned the 25th amendment once,” the Republican National Committee wrote, referencing concerns about Biden’s capacity to lead at age 82.

The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, permits the Cabinet or Congress to determine if the president is unfit for duty. Critics argue previous administrations provided stronger grounds to consider this amendment.

Fox News contributor Joe Concha commented on Newsom’s stance, saying, “Given Newsom’s defense to this day of President Biden, calling him one of the greatest presidents ever, there’s a saying around sitting this one out that applies here.” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton added, “Gavin Newsom wants to remove [Trump] from office for disclosing California could have tens of thousands of aliens illegally registered to vote and that China attacked 220 million voters.”

Trump addressed the country Thursday evening, claiming his administration discovered several election integrity issues. He mentioned declassified documents showing foreign data theft by China, longstanding vulnerabilities known to the U.S., and new evidence of “election fraud.” Fox News Digital could not independently verify these documents released by the White House.

Newsom and many Democrats questioned Trump’s motivations, noting the timing of his speech four months before the midterm elections. Newsom stated, “He wants to rig the election in 2026. He knows he is going to lose. That’s what that whole thing was about.”

Democratic voices like Harry Sisson and Rep. Yassamin Ansari supported Newsom’s call for the 25th Amendment. Ansari has previously urged an independent group to assess presidential cognitive health, citing Trump’s condition as a national security threat.

Other conservatives voiced concern about the potential upheaval of invoking the 25th Amendment. “Does anyone else think it’s weird that as he talks about Trump rigging an election, he simultaneously asks for the president’s cabinet to remove a duly elected president?” said Joe Patterson, a California assemblyman. He added, “Yeah, Gavin … that would pose no risk to our democracy at all. Get real!”

Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request about whether he would support Rep. Ansari’s bill.