The 25th Amendment deals with presidential succession, a vacancy in the vice presidency and presidential inability. It is not a general mechanism for removing a president because opponents disagree with a policy or dislike a speech.
Ratified in 1967, its official text is published by the National Archives. The four sections should be read separately because they address different situations.
Sections 1 and 2: Who holds an office
Section 1 provides that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns or is removed. It distinguishes succession to the presidency from temporarily exercising its powers.
Section 2 covers a vacancy in the vice presidency. The president nominates a replacement, who takes office after approval by a majority in both houses of Congress. That is not the same as a unilateral presidential appointment.
Section 3: A voluntary transfer of powers
A president can send the specified congressional leaders a written declaration of inability. The vice president then exercises the powers and duties as acting president until the president sends a contrary declaration.
The distinction between president and acting president matters. A temporary transfer under this section does not itself create a permanent vacancy.
Section 4: When inability is disputed
The vice president and a majority of the principal executive-department officers, or another body Congress may provide by law, can make the specified written declaration. The vice president becomes acting president.
If the president declares that no inability exists, Section 4 sets out a response period and possible congressional decision. Sustaining the disputed inability requires two-thirds votes in both houses within the constitutional process. The full text, including its deadlines, should be consulted rather than relying on a slogan about a cabinet vote.
What a headline cannot establish
A commentator cannot activate the amendment. Nor can a public video establish a medical diagnosis or prove that the required officials have taken constitutional action.
Impeachment is a separate process involving allegations of specified wrongdoing and different House and Senate roles. This page explains the amendment’s framework; it does not claim that a particular president is unable to serve or that a new transfer has occurred in 2026.
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