Republicans are divided over how far to go to pressure Vice President Harris or another Cabinet member to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Biden from office.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is among those publicly raising the highly unlikely prospect, as Republicans seek to turn the tables on Democrats who have talked about using the 25th Amendment against former President Trump.
But as satisfying as that is, Republicans right now are also happy to have a rematch between Trump and Biden. They believe that the Democratic president will be defeated and that the former president’s help could help them maintain their majority in the House.
And while many in the Republican Party intend to keep the president’s age and health in the spotlight until November, others believe Republicans should simply stay out of the way as Biden’s problems mount.
“It’s so frustrating when the other party sets itself on fire for all of America to watch and the only job we have as a party is to stand by and let America witness what they’re doing,” a Republican Party operative involved in the election disputes told The Hill: “It’s not about getting a message across other than letting Americans see who the leader of the Democratic Party really is.”
“We’ve seen the Democrats flailing wildly since [the debate]. They have no idea what to do,” the agent continued. “Republicans don’t need to insert themselves into this episode, we just need to sit back and watch. It’s frustrating because we’re ahead of our skis.”
Summoning the 25th The change will almost certainly not happen. But the debate on this issue reflects discussions among Republicans about who they would prefer to face in November and how best to campaign against Biden.
Johnson is the most prominent Republican to raise the possibility, which has also been raised by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of Senate GOP leadership, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) — two members of a lot of different stripes at the party.
On a long post on social mediaRoy said it is “undeniably true” that the president is “incapable of discharging the duties and powers” of the presidency and argued that Republicans are in the cat’s shoes politically, whether Biden is on the ticket or whoever replaces him. .
Other prominent party figures haven’t gone that far, including Trump, who appears more than happy to face Biden in November. A St. Anselm University poll released Monday showed Trump leading by two percentage points in New Hampshire — a state Biden carried by a 7-point margin four years ago.
However, it’s a delicate balance for Republicans. Waiting in the wings for Democrats is potentially Vice President Harris and the GOP is confused about whether she would pose a tougher challenge.
“No [voter is] changing my mind about Biden and Trump today. They might say, ‘Ah, [Biden’s] a lot worse than I thought’ or ‘Oh, I like Trump’s policies better, even though I didn’t like him,’ said a second GOP operative. “So the Biden/Trump thing is static. Something about fighting over inches.
“Kamala or anyone else would be a wild card due to her elusiveness,” they continued.
A new CNN poll showed as much on Tuesday. Harris trailed Trump by just 2 percentage points, compared to a 6-point margin for Biden. She also bested California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, all of whom trailed Trump by at least four percentage points.
While maintaining their support for Biden, some Democrats have also made it clear that they support the vice president should something happen. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), who has been with Harris in Los Angeles in recent days, praised her while speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday.
“I think she’s done an incredible job being the president’s partner, leading the party and leading the country,” she said, “and I think she will continue to be that.”
The idea of Biden potentially resigning from office or the 25th Amendment being invoked by the Cabinet would also mean that Harris would assume the presidency — something Republicans have already indicated they want no part of.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the Senate’s No. 3 Republican, told Fox News in a weekend interview that she “would be worse” than Biden and that the GOP’s focus should remain on November.
Biden is also a familiar figure to Republicans, who have essentially been running against him for four years.
“It’s complicated. Biden is who we are ready to run against, who we can defeat,” said a Republican Party aide in the Senate.
Even Tillis said that from a political standpoint, he understands why Republicans are advocating for Biden to go as his poll numbers start to plummet.
“That’s where I would get if I thought about this just in the vacuum of politics. I completely understand that,” Tillis told The Hill, adding that he disagrees with the idea because he doesn’t think Biden can fulfill his presidential responsibilities.
“This guy will be commander in chief for the next seven months,” he said, repeating part of his letter about how no company would keep a CEO in the role under the same circumstances.
On the other side of the aisle, the first cracks in Biden’s wall of support appeared on Tuesday when Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a member who represents a deep blue district, called on him to step aside from the ticket.
However, some operatives believe that even if Harris intervened, many of the same arguments against the president would apply to her.
“She has been in charge of every decision for the last four years,” said the first Republican Party operative. “She’s the border czar. I don’t think Republican messaging will change much if it’s her.”
“The attacks are almost the same,” they added.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
