'Mentally Ill': Gavin Newsom Demands 25th Amendment Removal Over President Trump's Iran Remarks

California governor Gavin Newsom has branded Donald Trump 'mentally ill' and demanded his removal under the 25th Amendment after the former president said at a rally that Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego, according to Fox News.

Newsom issued his call on 7 October, following Trump's speech at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday. Defending the war with Iran as a 'small price to pay' to stop it developing a nuclear weapon, Trump then referred to the danger a future nuclear-armed Iran could pose to American cities.

Gavin Newsom Escalates His Criticism

In a statement released to multiple news organisations on Wednesday, Newsom stated, 'Donald Trump is mentally ill. TIME FOR THE 25TH!'

Newsom had initially described Trump as 'deranged and dangerous.' He interpreted the remarks as a call for America's enemies to attack Los Angeles and San Diego, an interpretation the White House subsequently disputed.

The governor also directed California's State Threat Assessment Center to monitor whether foreign actors responded to the remarks as an invitation to target the state.

Newsom has previously raised the constitutional provision. In July, he described another Trump speech as a potential '25th Amendment moment.'

Criticism also came from other California politicians. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the statement as irresponsible, while San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria maintained that his city was not expendable.

Republican congressional candidate Jim Desmond, a Navy veteran, rejected any suggestion that an American city could be acceptable collateral damage. Republican Representative Kevin Kiley also criticised the rhetoric as unhelpful.

White House Challenges Gavin Newsom's Interpretation

Trump's wording became central to the dispute. 'They can take out a city,' he stated. 'Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.'

The White House maintained that he was warning about the consequences of leaving Iran's nuclear ambitions unaddressed. In that account, the cities were examples of places a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten, not targets the president wanted attacked.

Trump argued that higher fuel prices and the military costs of the war were preferable to the risk of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. Newsom's accusation turned on a different interpretation of the lines naming California's cities.

The Guardian initially published a headline suggesting Trump had called for Iran to be allowed to attack Los Angeles and San Diego. It subsequently revised both the headline and article.

Its correction stated that Trump had suggested Iran could strike the cities, but 'did not suggest that it do so, as the original headline indicated.'

The Constitutional Test Behind Gavin Newsom's Demand

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment addresses a president's inability to discharge the powers and duties of office, including serious physical or mental incapacity. The constitutional provision is distinct from impeachment. It also does not operate as a vote of no confidence of the kind held in the British Parliament.

To invoke it, the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet would need to declare the president unable to perform his duties. A declaration of incapacity would transfer presidential powers under the provision. Newsom's public demand does not itself trigger that process or establish that Trump is unable to fulfil his responsibilities.

Section 4 has never been invoked. If Trump contested a declaration and the vice president and Cabinet maintained their position, the dispute could ultimately reach Congress. Upholding the finding of incapacity would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers.