The Vice President of the United States of America, Mike Pence, refused to use the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution to remove the current head of the White House, Donald Trump, from power.

He wrote about this in his letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

“I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interests of our country or is consistent with our Constitution.

Last week, I did not succumb to the pressure that was on me in order to exceed my constitutional powers and determine the outcome of the elections.

I will not bend even now in the face of attempts to play the political games undertaken in the House of Representatives at such a serious time for our country, ”said Pence.

He also called on Pelosi and all members of the US Congress to refrain from actions that could exacerbate existing contradictions and exacerbate emotional tension.

“Let us work together to reduce tensions and unify our country as President-elect Joe Biden takes over as President of the United States.

I pledge to continue to cooperate in good faith with the new administration to ensure an orderly transition of power.

God help me, ”stated the American vice president.

The 25th Amendment to the US Constitution allows for the removal of a head of state from power if the vice president and most senior cabinet ministers decide that he is no longer capable of performing his duties.

  • US Vice President Mike Pence

  • Reuters

  • © J. Scott Applewhite

Even before Pence announced his decision, Donald Trump expressed confidence that he was not in danger of being removed from power through the 25th Amendment.

“The application of the 25th amendment does not pose any risk for me, but it will backfire on Joe Biden and his administration.

As they say, be careful what you wish for, ”he said during a speech in Texas.

The American leader, addressing the audience, also said that freedom of speech in the United States is under threat "like never before."

“The impeachment scam is the continuation of the greatest and most brutal witch hunt and results in an unprecedented level of anger, division and suffering.

The scale of this is far greater than most will ever understand.

And this is very dangerous for the United States, especially in these very delicate times, "- said Trump.

At the same time, despite Mike Pence's refusal to apply the 25th Amendment, the US House of Representatives approved a resolution calling for the removal of Trump from power by this method.

223 members of the lower house of the US Congress voted for the document.

Earlier, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi delivered an ultimatum to Pence, according to which, within 24 hours after the adoption of the resolution, he must bring into effect the 25th Amendment, and if the Vice President refuses, the lower house of the US Congress will begin impeachment proceedings against Trump for "inciting to mutiny. "

“In defending our Constitution and our democracy, we will act urgently because this president poses an imminent threat to them.

As time goes on, the horror of this president's ongoing attack on our democracy intensifies, as does the need for immediate action, ”Pelosi said.

She also has already appointed nine congressional prosecutors for Trump's impeachment trial.

  • Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is tearing in half a copy of Donald Trump's speech to congressmen.

    February 4, 2020.

  • Reuters

  • © Jonathan Ernst

The Democrats' efforts to remove from power the still incumbent US president, whose term expires on January 20, are ready to support members of the Republican Party.

According to the American media, from 10 to 25 Republican congressmen are in favor of this, four have officially announced this at the moment.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is also inclined towards this decision.

At the same time, the final decision on this issue will be made by the Senate: in order to remove the head of state from power, it is necessary that two-thirds of the senators vote for this.

In the current 117th convocation of the US Congress, Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives (222 versus 211), but in the Senate 50 out of 100 seats belong to Republicans.

Recall that on January 6, a large-scale rally of Trump supporters was held in Washington.

The action was timed to coincide with a meeting devoted to the approval of the results of the presidential elections, which was won by Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, the rally escalated into riots, and the protesters broke into the Capitol building.

The clashes killed five people, including a police officer.

At the same time, the Democratic Party considers the head of the White House responsible for the unrest, although Trump, through Twitter, urged his supporters to act peacefully and even made a video message.

During his speech in Texas on January 12, the US president reiterated his call for peace and respect for law enforcement officials.

This, he said, is at the heart of his Make America Great Again program.

“We believe in the rule of law, not in unrest and violence,” Trump said.

"Democrats fell victim to their own propaganda"

According to Grigory Yarygin, Associate Professor of the Department of American Studies at St. Petersburg State University, the Democrats are "playing a long game", trying to secure their positions in advance from the possible return of Donald Trump to the fight for the presidency of the United States in 2024.

“The Democrats are trying to pull Donald Trump out of a hypothetical, potential struggle, either for Congress if he supports the Republicans in the next electoral cycle in two years, or in four years in the struggle for the presidency.

And he has already repeatedly stated these ambitions of his own, and, it seems to me, he was even full of plans in order to run, "the expert explained in an interview with RT.

According to the political observer of the InoSMI website Dmitry Babich, the likelihood of impeachment against Donald Trump cannot be ruled out, since “such unprecedented times have come in the United States when it is useless to refer to the experience of the past”.

“Someone will say that impeachment is a long process and it is impossible to carry it out so quickly, but now there is a revolutionary moment in America ... According to the rules, a normal impeachment cannot be carried out, but it is possible to push through something in a revolutionary manner.

Another thing is that, of course, this will not be accepted by a huge part of society and not necessarily by Trump's supporters alone, but also by people who advocate adherence to American traditions, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

According to him, one of the goals of the Democrats is to completely remove Trump from the political life of the United States, since after the announcement of impeachment he will not be able to participate in the elections. 

“I have the impression that the Democrats became victims of their own propaganda, that is, they demonized Trump for several years and it was he personally, plus his mythical ties with Russia, who attributed all the troubles of the United States that they convinced themselves, and now they are doing everything, to finish it off.

They have some inertia and they demonize Trump so much that now it will be story number one.

They will seek his exclusion from politics, impeachment is only one of the options, one of the ways to such exclusion, ”Babich added.