Could the United States be on the verge of its first coup d’etat? As absurd as it feels to type those words, for the first time in my life, I can’t completely write them off. Writing anonymously for The New York Times, an apparent senior official in the Trump administration claimed that members of the cabinet had considered invoking the 25th Amendment through which a President can be found unfit for office and removed.
If the 25th Amendment were exercised, a majority of cabinet members would have to vote that President Trump is unfit for duty. Power would then be transferred to the vice president, although Trump would be able to fight the claim that he’s unfit and Congress would then weigh in. This clause has never been invoked to remove a president.
Further, even without the 25th Amendment being invoked, President Trump’s authority may already be undermined. Both The New York Times op-ed and an upcoming book by famed journalist Bob Woodward claim that White House insiders are controlling what information reaches the President. Apparently, staffers have been literally removing executive orders from Trump’s desk in order to prevent him from signing them.
Reportedly, members of Trump’s staff are trying to tamp down on the President’s “misguided impulses.” The Trump insider also warned that the President is “amoral” and lacks “first principals” to guide his own decision making. Given the efforts to control the President, it’s fair to wonder if the coup has already happened, albeit unofficially. Is Trump at risk of becoming a puppet President? Is he already one?
I’ve never believed much in “deep state” theories but the recent New York Times op-ed does suggest stark manipulation and efforts to curtail President Trump’s administration. Indeed, the writer essentially spells out “deep state” when he/she wrote, “The dilemma — which he [Trump] does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.”
The anonymous writer further claimed that a group of internal renegades are doing what they can to “preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”
If a group of people are actively conspiring to manipulate the President, how are we supposed to view it as anything but a deep-state coup? This official most likely wasn’t democratically elected (unless it was Pence) yet is actively working in coordination with other officials to undermine the President and his authority.
I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016. I likely won’t be voting for him in 2020. While I agree with some of his policies and understand some of his inclinations, I disagree with many more. Nevertheless, the reports of multiple officials conspiring to undermine him are troubling, to say the least. The writer claims to be fighting for democracy, and yet his/her actions and words suggest just the opposite.
If administration officials truly believe that the President is unfit for duty, then they should take the steps prescribed by our Constitution, which allows for both the cabinet and Congress to remove the President. Let me emphasize that I am not claiming that the President is unfit for duty. Only those inside the White House know what’s going on, and I’ve never even been on a tour. Regardless, undermining a President is inappropriate and if Trump really is a danger, then it should be handled through proper channels, not backstabbing.
I have to agree with President Trump, who slammed the writer as “gutless” on Twitter. The anonymous writer is attempting to take an easy way out, claiming to be a defender of democracy while actively working against it. If he or she has legitimate evidence of mental instability or criminal wrong-doing, then it should be made public and presented through Congress.