Republicans are divided over how far to go in pressing for Vice President Harris or another Cabinet member to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Biden from office.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is among those publicly raising the highly unlikely prospect, as Republicans seek to turn the table on Democrats who talked about using the 25th amendment against former President Trump.
But as satisfying as that is, Republicans at this point are also happy to have a Trump-Biden rematch. They believe the Democratic president will go down to defeat and that the former president’s coattails could help them retain the House majority.
And while many in the GOP aim to keep the president’s age and health in the spotlight heading into November, others believe Republicans should simply stay out of the way as Biden’s troubles mount.
“It’s just so frustrating when you have the other party lighting itself on fire for all of America to watch, and the only task we have as a party is to stand still and let America witness what they’re doing,” one GOP operative involved in downballot races told The Hill. “This is not about driving a message other than allowing Americans to see who the leader of the Democratic Party really is.”
“We’ve seen Dems wildly thrashing around since [Thursday’s debate]. They have no clue what to do,” the operative continued. “Republicans don’t need to insert ourselves into that episode, we just need to sit back and watch. It’s frustrating because we’re getting ahead of our skis.”
Invoking the 25th Amendment, to be sure, is almost certainly not going to happen. But the debate over it reflects the discussions among Republicans about who they would rather square off against in November and how to best campaign against Biden.
Johnson is the most prominent Republican to raise the possibility, which has also been floated by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of Senate GOP leadership, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) — two members of very different stripes in the party.
In a lengthy social media post, Roy said it is “undeniably true” that the president is “unable to discharge the duties and powers” of the presidency, and argued that Republicans are in the catbird seat politically whether it’s Biden on the ticket or anyone else who would replace him.
Other prominent figures in the party have not gone that far, including Trump, who seems more than pleased to square off with Biden in November. A Saint Anselm University survey released Monday showed Trump leading by 2 percentage points in New Hampshire — a state Biden pulled off by a 7-point margin four years ago.
It’s a delicate balance for Republicans though. Waiting in the wings for Democrats is potentially Vice President Harris, and the GOP is mixed about whether she would present a tougher challenge.
“No [voter is] changing their mind about Biden and Trump today. They might say, ‘Oh, [Biden’s] a lot worse than I thought’ or ‘Oh, I like Trump’s policies better even though I didn’t like him,” a second GOP operative said. “So the Biden-Trump thing is static. A ‘fighting over inches’ thing.”
“Kamala or anyone else would be a wild card given their lack of definition,” they continued.
A new CNN poll showed as much Tuesday. Harris trailed Trump by only 2 percentage points, compared to a 6-point deficit for Biden. She also outperformed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, all of whom trailed Trump by at least 4 percentage points.
While maintaining their support for Biden, some Democrats have also made clear they are behind the vice president in case something happens. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), who was with Harris in Los Angeles in recent days, heaped praise on her while speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday.
“I think she’s done an incredible job being a partner to the president and leading the party and leading the country,” she said, “and I think she will continue to be that.”
The idea of Biden potentially stepping down from office or the 25th Amendment being invoked by the Cabinet would also mean Harris stepping into the presidency — something Republicans have already indicated they do not support.
Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, told Fox News in an interview over the weekend Harris “would be worse” than Biden and that the focus for the GOP should remain on November.
Biden is also a known quantity for Republicans, who have essentially been running against him for four years.
“It’s tricky. Biden is who we’re ready to run against, who we can beat,” one Senate GOP aide said.
Even Tillis said that through the political lens, he understands why Republicans are making the case to leave Biden be as his poll numbers start to plummet.
“That’s where I’d land, if I was only thinking about that in the vacuum of politics. I purely understand that,” Tillis told The Hill, adding that he disagrees with the idea, as he does not think Biden can carry out his presidential responsibilities.
“This guy is going to be the commander in chief for the next seven months,” he said, echoing part of his letter on how no company would keep a CEO in the role in the same circumstances.
Across the aisle, the first cracks in Biden’s wall of support emerged Tuesday as Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a member representing a deep blue district, called for him to step aside on the ticket.
However, some operatives believe that even if Harris were to step in, many of the same arguments against the president would apply to her.
“She’s been in the front seat of every decision in the last four years,” the first GOP operative said. “She’s the border czar. I don’t think Republican messaging changes much if it’s her.”
“The attacks are kind of one in the same,” they added.