US President Donald Trump says “there will be an orderly transition” after Congress concludes electoral vote count certifying Joe Biden victory.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20,” Trump said in a statement posted on Twitter by White House spokesman Dan Scavino.
“While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!” the statement ended.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, lawmakers through Mike Pence certified Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win.
The United States Vice President Mike Pence declares that Joe Biden will become President of the United States on the 20th of January.
Pence reports the electoral votes:
President
Joe Biden – 306
Donald Trump – 232
Vice President
Kamala Harris – 306
Mike Pence – 232
Trump, 74, has been condemned for inciting Wednesday’s violence in Washington as hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol building while lawmakers held a session to confirm Democratic President-election Biden’s win.
Four people reportedly died, including a Trump fanatic who was shot as the mob smashed windows and forced their way inside America’s seat of power.
The outgoing president has just under two weeks left in office, but members of his party and rival Democrats are looking at ways to kick him out before then.
Many Americans have called for Trump to be punished in the aftermath of Wednesday’s chaos.
After the mob stormed the Capitol, the blame fell on Trump and he was condemned for his response to the insurrection.
Many also want President Donald Trump to be removed from office after he failed to condemn his supporters for storming the US Capitol Building as members met to certify Joe Biden as the country’s next president.
Broadcast network ABC News, citing multiple sources with direct knowledge of the move, reported that some members of Trump’s cabinet were discussing an unprecedented move to invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment of the constitution, as several Democratic members of Congress urged Vice President Mike Pence to lead the charge in declaring Trump as “unfit” to remain as president.
What’s the purpose of the 25th Amendment?
The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967 and adopted in the wake of President John F Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, deals with presidential succession and disability.
It was previously used by presidents who had to temporarily relinquish power due to health reasons.
In 2002, President George W Bush became the first to use the amendment’s Section 3 to temporarily transfer power to Vice President Dick Cheney while Bush underwent a colonoscopy and was under an anaesthetic. Bush temporarily transferred power again five years later when he had another colonoscopy.
The 25th Amendment was not invoked after President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, and while the one-time movie star did temporarily transfer power to Vice President George H W Bush while undergoing surgery to remove a polyp from his colon in 1985, he said at the time that he was not formally invoking the 25th Amendment.
Reagan said that while he was “mindful” of the amendment, he did not believe “that the drafters of this Amendment intended its application to situations such as the instant one”. Bush was acting president for eight hours according to a book on the amendment by John D Feerick.
Section 4
Most attention on the 25th Amendment in relation to Trump has focused on Section 4 because it addresses situations where a president is unable to do the job but does not step down voluntarily.
Under Section 4, Vice President Pence and the majority of Trump’s cabinet would need to declare Trump unable to perform the duties of the presidency and remove him.
According to the rules, Trump could subsequently, at any time, declare that he was no longer disabled and regain his position if Pence and the majority of the cabinet did not contest the assertion within four days.
If the cabinet disputes the president’s declaration, the issue is decided by Congress. If both chambers determine by a two-thirds majority that Trump is incapacitated, Pence would continue to discharge the duties of the presidency.
Watch the moment Mike Pence certified Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College below:
