US Capitol riots: Violence at US Capitol triggers calls for Trump's removal, will Vice President Pence invoke 25th Amendment?

 The protestors stormed the Capitol building the same day when the US Congress was set to officially ratify President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory.   

The never-ending saga of US politics boiled up on January 6, 2021 with supporters of President Donald Trump storming into the building of the US Capitol, which houses both the US Senate and the House of Representatives, leading to the lockdown of the building.

The protestors stormed the Capitol building the same day when the US Congress was set to officially ratify President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory. The day also marked the day when the Democrats were set to take the senate after winning Georgia's US Senate election.

Initially, the protestors had gathered at the National Mall to protest the November Election Results, as the Congress had begun counting the Electoral votes. Later they assembled in front of the Capitol building and started breaching the barricading with some protestors even managing to enter the building.

US President Donald Trump also tweeted asking everyone at the US Capitol to remain peaceful. However, he did not ask the protestors to call off the protest. In fact, his tweets continued to dispute the results of the US Elections.

Later, in a video posted on his twitter, Trump called on the violent mob and urged them to go home, while saying that they are very special to him. He repeated false claims of the election being stolen. The video was removed by Twitter.

Trump had posted another tweet yet again raising question on the election results and justifying the violence and actions that took place on the day by saying they were events that happen when sacred election victory is viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been unfairly treated for long. The post was also removed by Twitter.

Twitter went to lock President Trump's twitter account for 12 hours to stop any further instigation to the already violent protests.

World Leaders condemn US Capitol riots

World leaders including Indian PM Narendra Modi, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the violence and destruction at the Capitol building and urged for an end to the disgraceful scenes and for peaceful and orderly transfer of power in the United States.

What is the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution?

Following the act of violence of Trump supporters storming the Capitol building, many have reportedly urged Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from the highest office. Members of the Trump cabinet are allegedly discussing the option of invoking the amendment.

What is the 25th Amendment?

The 25th Amendment lays down the procedure on how a US President or Vice President can be succeeded or replaced. As per the Amendment, the Vice President becomes President if the sitting President dies, resigns or is removed from the office.

The 25th Amendment has four sections:

1. Section 1 deals with Presidential succession which states that the Vice President shall become President in case of the removal of the President from office due to death or resignation.

2. Section 2 deals with Vice Presidential vacancy which states that the President shall nominal a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of the US Congress in case there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President.

3. Section 3 deals with Presidential Declaration which allows the President to voluntarily transfer his powers temporarily to the Vice President by declaring his inability to discharge his duties in writing. The Vice President will then assume the duties during the period as Acting President and the President will regain his powers when he declares his readiness to discharge them again. This is generally done during medical emergencies.

4. Section 4 deals with Declaration by Vice President and Principal officers and addresses the case when the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. The section addresses the case of an incapacitated President who is either unable or unwilling to execute his duties. It allows the Vice President along with a majority of principal officers to declare the President unable to discharge power and duties of the office in a written declaration.

The authority will then immediately be transferred to the Vice President and he will become Acting President. The President will continue to remain in office but he will be divested of all authority. This section of the 25th Amendment has never been invoked in the United States. It is this section that many are asking Vice President Pence to invoke against President Trump.

Background

The 25th Amendment was proposed by the Congress on July 6, 1965 after the assassination of the 35th President of the United States- John K Kennedy. The Amendment was ratified by the states on February 10, 1967.