Tatter cover image

Tatter

Episode 50: Wrong Tool for the Job (Brian Kalt, on the 25th Amendment)

Mar 20, 2020
Guest Brian Kalt from Michigan State University College of Law challenges misconceptions about the 25th Amendment, particularly Section 4. Discussion includes historical context, criteria, and challenges of invoking the amendment in the context of President Trump's fitness for office during crises like COVID-19. The episode clarifies misconceptions about acting cabinet members and emphasizes the importance of aligning understanding to avoid confusion.
43:38

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The 25th Amendment's Section 4 is designed for extreme cases of presidential incapacity, not just unpopularity or incompetence.
  • Historical incidents like President Garfield's illness and Eisenhower's health emphasized the need for clear processes of power transfer.

Deep dives

Understanding Section 4 of the 25th Amendment

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution enables the vice president and a majority of the cabinet to declare the president unfit, leading to the vice president becoming acting president. This process was designed for extreme cases of presidential incapacity, not merely for a president who is perceived as unfit or unpopular. The intent is to address situations where the president is incapacitated, not just unable to perform the duties adequately.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode