--- title: That Trump Op-Ed and What to Know About the 25th Amendment description: The anonymous writer behind a widely shared opinion piece suggested that invoking the amendment might cause a constitutional crisis. canonical: https://time.com/5388796/trump-op-ed-25th-amendment/ author: Jennifer Calfas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-06T16:40:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:21:50.581Z article:section: History og:title: That Trump Op-Ed and What to Know About the 25th Amendment og:description: "There were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment," the unnamed writer claimed og:url: https://time.com/5388796/trump-op-ed-25th-amendment/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b89aa06ef90fa84/69893995457a525284d5f4dd/lbj.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Lyndon B. Johnson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: That Trump Op-Ed and What to Know About the 25th Amendment twitter:description: "There were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment," the unnamed writer claimed twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b89aa06ef90fa84/69893995457a525284d5f4dd/lbj.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Anonymous Trump Op-Ed Writer Worried the 25th Amendment Could Cause a Crisis. Preventing Crisis Is Why It Exists by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Sep 6, 2018 4:40 PM UTC  Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in to the office of the Presidency aboard Air Force One in Dallas, Texas, hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in to the office of the Presidency aboard Air Force One in Dallas, Texas, hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.Bettmann/Getty Images by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Sep 6, 2018 4:40 PM UTC In a scathing, widely shared [opinion piece in the New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage) on Wednesday, an unnamed senior Trump administration official claimed a number of employees have “gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing.” Those great lengths, the unnamed official [wrote](http://time.com/5387876/trump-administration-resistance-op-ed/), included discussions to invoke the 25th Amendment — an attempt to remove President Donald Trump from office that must be prompted by the majority of his cabinet members and Vice President. “Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president,” the senior official wrote. “But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over.” In fact, the reason why that amendment exists was to address a different potential for crisis in government. The 25th Amendment became part of the Constitution after it was ratified by 38 states in 1967\. As TIME [noted](http://time.com/4656659/25th-amendment-50-years/) when the Amendment turned 50, it “officially answered a question that had plagued the United States ever since its founding: How could the country make sure that there would always be a capable person at the helm of the ship of state?” Though it was known what would happen if the President died, that wasn’t the case if he couldn’t do the job for another reason, such as illness or injury. But, though the question was clear, the early life of the amendment was complicated, as the article explained: --- > “” --- ## How the 25th Amendment Works Here’s how TIME [explained](http://time.com/vault/issue/1967-02-17/page/32/) the mechanisms of the Amendment in 1967, right after it was ratified: “Under the amendment, an incapacitated Chief Executive can himself declare in writing that he is unable to continue in office, and the Vice President can take over—at least temporarily. If an ailing President is unable or unwilling to step aside voluntarily, the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet can send a written statement to Congress declaring that the President is incapable of holding office. If the President were to challenge such a resolution, Congress itself would vote on the question. The amendment also authorizes the President to appoint, and Congress to confirm, a new Vice President if a vacancy occurs in that office.” The amendment has[ four sections ](https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxv)that deal with four possible situations: what happens if the President dies or resigns, what happens if the nation needs a new Vice-President, what happens if the President decides “that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” and what happens if it is decided by “the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide” that the President “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” “Once, perhaps, we could pay the price of inaction. But today in this crisis-ridden era there is no margin for delay, no possible justification for ever permitting a vacuum in our national leadership,” Johnson [said](http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=28658) upon its ratification. “Now, at last, through the 25th amendment, we have the means of responding to these crises of responsibility.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5388796/trump-op-ed-25th-amendment/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5388796/trump-op-ed-25th-amendment/"},"headline":"The Anonymous Trump Op-Ed Writer Worried the 25th Amendment Could Cause a Crisis. 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