California Governor Urges 25th Amendment to Oust Trump

California Governor Gavin Newsom called for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office following a presidential address on election integrity on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The governor's remarks, which described the speech as "the ramblings of a mad king," ignited a swift and intense political backlash focused on accusations of hypocrisy.

Newsom made the comments in response to a nationally televised speech in which President Trump detailed what he described as systemic vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems. The president stated that newly declassified documents revealed foreign data theft by China and alleged that government officials had long been aware of, but had not addressed, significant election flaws. Newsom dismissed the substance of the address, framing it as a preemptive effort to undermine the upcoming November 2026 midterm elections. "He wants to rig the election in 2026. He knows he is going to lose," Newsom said.

The governor's suggestion that the president's Cabinet should consider the 25th Amendment, which provides a process for declaring a president unfit for duty, was immediately met with fierce criticism from Republican...