MSNBC host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki pushed back on growing calls within the Democratic Party to invoke the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump, arguing the focus is misplaced because it is “never going to happen.”
During an appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s show “Straight Shooter,” Smith asked Psaki whether some rhetoric on the left has become overly “vitriolic” in its opposition to Trump.
“I think there are times — and I can’t speak for everybody on the left, I don’t agree with everything everybody says on the left either — you know, sometimes it’s just not constructive,” Psaki said. “I mean, you’ve talked about the 25th Amendment. I have no issue with people saying they’re for invoking the 25th Amendment, but it’s not going to happen. So it’s like, why are we spending so much time, you know?”
Smith has similarly dismissed efforts to pursue the 25th Amendment as unrealistic.
Calls to remove Trump through the constitutional provision have come from more than 50 Democratic lawmakers, along with critics across the political spectrum. The push intensified after Trump warned on social media that a “whole civilization will die” unless Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was among those supporting removal. “I certainly think the president should be removed,” Kim said. “I mean, he’s unfit for office. I think the 25th Amendment, and if not, then impeachment.”
Psaki, however, suggested Democrats risk alienating voters by focusing too heavily on such measures and by policing ideological boundaries within the party.
“What is also true is that in order to win, you have to invite more people to the party,” she said. “So if you want to win, you have to accept sometimes that there may be people who are part of your party, or you’re going to welcome into the conversation, who you don’t agree with on 100% of issues. And I think sometimes there can be a little litmus-testy feeling about who’s allowed to be a Democrat or who can consider themselves progressive.”
She also warned that constant outrage can be counterproductive politically.
“And part of that goes hand in hand with feeling like you have to scream at the top of your lungs about everything that comes out of the Trump administration,” Psaki said. “And I’m outraged by a lot of it. But I don’t think screaming about every single thing is the most constructive thing.”
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