A political analyst has hinted that US President Donald Trump could potentially lose his grip on power, and it might stem from within, as per insights from Sky News commentator Adam Boulton.
Boulton speculates that Trump’s haphazard approach to policymaking could alienate even his most loyal supporters, particularly if the US is pushed into turmoil by his governance. Since taking office, Trump’s flurry of executive actions has been nothing short of controversial.
In a notably turbulent tenure, Trump and his right-hand man Elon Musk have challenged global commerce by imposing tariffs on friendly nations like Canada and Mexico. Under Trump’s leadership, the administration has also renamed the Gulf of Mexico, temporarily suspended aid to Ukraine, and begun deporting many alleged Venezuelans to El Salvador.
Such erratic behaviour might fracture Trump’s relationship with his trusted allies within the White House, muses Boulton. This unrest could pave the way for Vice President JD Vance, who once denounced Trump as “America’s Hitler”, to rise as his successor.
Occupying a potent spot in American politics, Vance stands as a prime candidate to potentially unseat Trump, Boulton asserts, reports the Mirror.
In an article for The i, Boulton stated: “Should Trump become more of a unpredictable liability – tanking the economy with tariffs, say or pushing America into an armed confrontation with an ally – then Republicans, including cabinet members, may decide that his comparatively squeaky-clean family-oriented VP is a better bet to keep them in power.”
The question of whether JD Vance would be a superior choice for America remains open – particularly as he has demonstrated an ability to change ideological allegiances. This uncertainty arises during a time when a growing number of experts are warning that the US is inching towards authoritarianism.
What might have once seemed improbable, perhaps even impossible, during Trump’s initial presidency, seems to be becoming a reality. It’s a trend that could continue under Vance’s leadership.
In a report discussing the global decline of democracies, V-Dem’s chief political scientist Staffan Lindberg wrote: “The USA now seems to be heading towards a transition away from democracy under President Trump. In my view, the reverberations of this are and will be enormous across the world.”
This sentiment is mirrored by American figures such as former Republican communications director Tara Setmayer. Speaking to the Guardian, Setmayer said: “We are approaching Defcon 1 for our democracy and a lot of people in the media and the opposition leadership don’t seem to be communicating that to the American people.
“That is the biggest danger of the moment we’re in now: the normalisation of it.”
This assertion comes to the fore with recent actions from the administration. Notably, earlier this month, a French scientist was allegedly refused entry into the US after their mobile phone revealed text messages criticising the Trump administration.
The incident was brought to light by France’s minister of higher education and research, who stated that the scientist was turned away due to personal texts on Trump’s research policies shared with peers.
The potential for continuing such contentious policies under a new leadership looms as concerns rise that if Vance assumed the presidency, he might simply continue on the same trajectory as Trump.
On how Trump could be ousted from office, America has several established procedures to dethrone a sitting President. One well-trodden path is impeachment – a process Trump has already been through and survived twice in his first stretch at the helm.
Alternatively, Vance, along with a majority of Trump’s cabinet, could invoke the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution. By doing so, they would need to formally declare Trump “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”.
Should Trump object, Congress would then be called upon to act. A formidable two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate would be necessary to secure his permanent removal from power.
While Trump’s political allies considered this in the wake of the January 6 insurrection, they did not pursue it. Other methods of ousting the President include political pressure leading to resignation, as was the case with Richard Nixon stepping down following the Watergate scandal.
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