Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, criticized the Democratic Party for leading a "coup" against President Joe Biden, The New York Post reported.
Vance, who is currently a senator from Ohio, noted that, if Biden is ineligible to run for president, he should not be able to serve out the remainder of his term.
The Republican nominee commented on Biden's deteriorating condition and the news that he would not run for re-election in a clip that aired Monday morning on Fox News, telling "Primetime" host Jesse Watters that Biden should not resign in a way that only benefits his own party.
The coup against Biden according to Trump and Vance
When asked if the current president's withdrawal from the election was a "coup against Joe Biden," Trump responded quietly with a "sort of," before Vance interjected.
"Yes, I think it is. I mean, there's a constitutional process, the 25th Amendment. If Joe Biden can't run for president, he can't serve as president," Vance responded forcefully.
"And if they want to take him down because he's mentally unfit to serve, invoke the 25th Amendment. You can't do this in the most politically beneficial way for Democrats. If this is a real problem, they should fix it the right way," he added.
The interview was taped Saturday before news broke Sunday that Biden was withdrawing from the 2024 general election and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the presumptive new Democratic nominee.
The Ohio senator expressed a similar sentiment hours before Biden's announcement, writing on social media that if the president was unfit to campaign, he should not be trusted to stay in the White House any longer.
"If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President?" Vance tweeted.
"Not running for reelection would be a clear ission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief.
"There is no middle ground."
During the interview, Trump agreed when Watters asked him if he would investigate the "people who hid Joe Biden's condition," including the White House doctors who "keep giving him this wonderful report".
What is the 25th Amendment?
The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Amendment XXV) deals with the succession of the President of the United States, and sets forth the procedures to be followed for filling the office of Vice President in the event of a vacancy in the office, as well as what must be done if the President is unable to continue in office.
It replaces the ambiguous text of Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution, which does not expressly state whether the vice president becomes the president, or acts as acting (provisional) president if the president dies, resigns, is removed from office, or is otherwise unable to discharge the duties of the office.
Amendment XXV was ratified in 1967.