According to a new poll conducted for Newsweek, a majority of Americans, 51% of respondents, express openness to invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Joe Biden from office, should his Cabinet deem it necessary. This sentiment extends beyond political opponents to include 41% of voters who supported Biden in the 2020 election.
The controversy surrounding Biden’s presidency has intensified since the June 27 debate. The debate also triggered the House Oversight Committee’s decision to issue subpoenas to several of the president’s top aides.
The committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., seeks clarity on the roles and responsibilities assumed by first lady Jill Biden’s top aide Anthony Bernal, Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini and Senior Adviser Ashley Williams. This comes amidst concerns about Biden’s mental acuity.
“The Committee is concerned that Mr. Bernal appears to be one of several White House staffers who have taken it upon themselves to run the country while the president cannot,” Comer wrote in a letter. “To be clear, the American people did not elect Mr. Bernal or any White House staffer to do President Biden’s job for him.”
In response, the White House has dismissed these actions as political maneuvers.
“Like everything Congressman Comer has done over the past year, these subpoenas are a baseless political stunt intended for him to get media attention instead of engage in legitimate oversight,” Ian Sams, a White House spokesperson, said.
“The Committee seeks this information to explore whether the time has come for Congress to revisit potential legislation to address the oversight of presidents’ fitness to serve pursuant to its authority under Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment,” Rep. Comer stated in his letter.
The 25th Amendment covers presidential disability and succession. It specifies who will take over if a president dies or resigns as well as what it would take for a president to be removed if they are “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
The poll findings highlight broader uncertainties within the Democratic Party about Biden’s leadership as the election approaches. In the same Newsweek poll, about 56% of Biden’s 2020 supporters also reportedly favor the president ending his campaign for reelection.