LOS ANGELES – This past week, Donald Trump provided further indication that he may be unfit to serve as president. Among other statements raising questions about his mental capacity were his lashing out at the Danish prime minister for rejecting his assertion that he would buy Greenland, as well as his disturbing characterization of himself as “the chosen one.”
Trump’s troubling statements once again raise the issue of his fitness for office and the potential application of the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that outlines the transition of power should a president be unfit to serve. Specifically, the amendment allows for the Vice President together with the Cabinet to decide if the president is unable to discharge the powers of his office.
Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) issued the following statement on the composition of the current cabinet that would determine Trump’s capacity to remain in office:
“With the appropriate resignation of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta several weeks ago, and the nomination of Eugene Scalia to succeed him, there will not be a single Latino or Latina in any of the Cabinet positions empowered by law to participate in considering the possible mental incapacity of the president of the United States. The absence – not seen in many decades — of any member of the largest minority group in the country was clearly intended by the vehemently anti-Latino Trump, but also abetted by the Senate majority that unthinkingly confirms virtually every nominee placed before them by someone whose sanity is in legitimate question.
“Because Latinos have been the primary target of Trump’s always false and often unhinged negative commentary, someone with the perspective of the Latino community should be able to participate in deliberations under the 25th Amendment.
“Meanwhile, Lyin’ Wilbur Ross remains Commerce Secretary after a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court labeled him a prevaricator, based on ample evidence. As Commerce Secretary, Lyin’ Wilbur has a role in determining the president’s mental capacity under the 25th Amendment, a role he is utterly incapable of performing with any integrity.
“Not a single Latino, but an adjudicated liar. The Senate has converted the much-needed protections of the 25th Amendment into an unusable farce.”