California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday described President Donald Trump’s election-integrity speech as “a legitimate 25th Amendment moment,” saying the remarks were “the rambling of a mad king.” The governor’s comment, which directly named the 25th Amendment, came as Trump unveiled what he called newly declassified documents about foreign meddling and election vulnerabilities.
What Newsom said
Newsom’s statement landed quickly in a heated political environment, drawing support from some Democrats and sharp criticism from conservatives who accused him of hypocrisy for not calling for similar reviews of previous presidents. The exchange pushed questions about presidential fitness and the legal options for removing or sidelining a commander in chief into public view.
“This is the rambling of a mad king,” Newsom said, calling the speech a legitimate 25th Amendment moment and urging that mechanisms exist to address a president who cannot responsibly perform the duties of office.
Claims in Trump’s speech
In his address, President Trump said newly declassified documents would show foreign actors, including China, had stolen data and targeted U.S. voters. He asserted long-standing election vulnerabilities and hinted at fresh evidence of fraud.
Fox News Digital reported it could not independently verify the content of the documents the White House referenced. Several specific assertions cited during the speech — including an allegation that China “attacked 220 million voters” and claims that California could have tens of thousands of noncitizens improperly registered — remained unverified in initial public reporting. (Fox News Digital specifically stated it could not independently verify the underlying documents the White House described.)
The White House did not make immediate, public access to the underlying materials available to outside reporters for independent review in the immediate aftermath of the speech; journalists and outside experts said they would need that access to confirm the administration’s account.
Political reactions and pushback
The Republican National Committee responded on social media by accusing Democrats of double standards, pointing to their handling of concerns about President Joe Biden’s cognitive health in the past. Conservative commentators and some GOP officials called Newsom hypocritical for urging the 25th Amendment now.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha and judicial activist Tom Fitton were among conservative voices critical of Newsom; Fitton framed the governor’s move as politically motivated and questioned the focus on Trump after other administrations. Critics warned that invoking the amendment without broad consensus could be destabilizing.
On the other side, Democrats including Rep. Yassamin Ansari and commentator Harry Sisson publicly supported examining Trump’s fitness. Some progressives argued the speech’s tone and the unverified claims it contained raised legitimate national security and governance concerns.
How the 25th Amendment works
The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, creates a legal framework for addressing presidential disability. It allows the vice president and a majority of the president’s principal officers — commonly interpreted as Cabinet members — to declare the president unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.
Under Section 4, if the vice president and Cabinet submit a written declaration to Congress, the vice president becomes acting president. The president can then contest the declaration, and Congress must decide the matter by a two-thirds vote in both chambers to keep the acting president in place. The amendment also contemplates that Congress may pass laws to establish procedures or review bodies to handle disputes over fitness.
Proposals floated by some Democrats would create an independent review panel of experts — including physicians and former officials — to assess a president’s cognitive fitness before a 25th Amendment move is pursued. Those ideas remain proposals or bills rather than established law.
What comes next
In the near term, the dispute is likely to play out as a political flashpoint ahead of the November midterms. Calls for a formal review or new legislation to set up an independent evaluation body have been raised by lawmakers, but no binding process has been enacted yet.
Newsom’s office did not immediately say whether the governor would back a specific bill to create a 25th Amendment review body. Meanwhile, the administration and independent outlets will face pressure to make any cited documents public or allow verification by outside journalists and experts.
Absent clear, independently confirmed evidence in the materials Trump cited, legal scholars and lawmakers say an effort to use the 25th Amendment would encounter heavy political and procedural hurdles. Congress would be drawn into any formal dispute, and the threshold for removing a sitting president is deliberately high.
FAQ
What is the 25th Amendment?
Ratified in 1967, the 25th Amendment establishes procedures to fill a vacancy in the vice presidency and to address presidential disability. It allows the vice president and a majority of principal officers to declare the president unable to perform duties and provides a congressional role in resolving disputes.
Can the Cabinet remove a president under the 25th Amendment?
The Cabinet, together with the vice president, can declare the president unable to serve, which temporarily transfers powers to the vice president. The president can contest that declaration, and Congress must then decide by supermajorities whether the president remains disqualified.
Have the documents Trump cited been verified?
As of initial reporting, outlets including Fox News Digital said they could not independently verify the contents of the documents the White House referenced. Key claims — such as alleged large-scale foreign data theft and specific voter-registration assertions — remain unverified and subject to further review. Independent access to the materials will be necessary for verification.
Source: Reporting by Fox News Digital. Original story: Conservatives flip script on Newsom after he demanded 25th Amendment for Trump. Fox News Digital reported it could not independently verify the specific documents the White House referenced in the speech.
