Article By David Lindfield
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) called for President Donald Trump’s removal under the 25th Amendment after remarks about Iranian threats to American cities, prompting the White House to accuse the media of misrepresenting the president’s argument.
In statements provided to multiple media outlets, Newsom said:
“Donald Trump is mentally ill. TIME FOR THE 25TH!”
The demand followed Trump’s Monday campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska.
During the event, the president discussed the costs of the conflict with Iran and the danger Tehran could have posed to the United States with a nuclear weapon.
The White House said Trump was explaining why stopping a nuclear Iran protected American cities, rejecting interpretations that he was endorsing attacks on them.
White House Challenges Interpretation of Trump’s Remarks
During the rally, Trump discussed the price Americans were paying for the conflict before referencing Los Angeles and San Diego.
“They can take out a city,” Trump said.
“Let them take out Los Angeles.
“Let them take out San Diego.
“This is a very small price to pay,” Trump added.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said the ensuing “media freakout” was “not rooted in reality.”
Trump “was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped,” Cheung said.
“America is safer because of the president,” Cheung added.
“Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”
Trump’s broader remarks addressed what he described as the costs of “keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”
Newsom Escalates with Mental Illness Accusation
Newsom responded by labeling Trump “deranged and dangerous” in a post on X.
He continued by demanding use of the constitutional process for declaring a president unable to perform his duties.
The governor’s accusation was a political attack, not a medical diagnosis.
It also repeated a demand Newsom made in July, when he called Trump’s election integrity speech a “legitimate 25th Amendment moment.”
Newsom described that earlier speech as “the rambling of a mad king.”
Republicans pushed back at the time, accusing Newsom and other Democrats of a double standard after defending former President Joe Biden amid questions about his age and cognitive fitness.
Governor Cannot Invoke Amendment Himself
The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, establishes a process for determining that a president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.
That process involves the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet, or another body designated by Congress.
Newsom has no authority as governor to initiate such a declaration himself.
His latest demand therefore amounts to pressure on others to remove Trump, based on remarks the White House says have been stripped of their intended meaning.
The administration’s position is that Trump was describing the danger prevented by stopping a nuclear Iran.
Newsom instead used the remarks to renew his call for the president’s removal.
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