House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says lawmakers will be discussing the presidential line of succession as questions swirl about the president’s health.
Pelosi told reporters during her press conference on Thursday that lawmakers would discuss the 25 Amendment — which outlines the presidential line of succession — on Friday.
Pelosi said, “When we hear people saying, ‘I’m young and I’m a perfect specimen,’ instead of addressing the fact that what 50,000 people were reported to be infected yesterday, nearly 1,000 people died. What are we talking about here?”
“Come here tomorrow, we’re going to be talking about the 25th Amendment,” she added.
The 25th Amendment deals with the presidential line of succession should the chief executive die or become incapacitated, or if a majority of the Cabinet members determine the President is unable to discharge the duties of the office.
Watch the video below:
.@SpeakerPelosi: "Tomorrow, by the way, tomorrow, come here tomorrow. We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment."
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 8, 2020
Full video here: https://t.co/5q4HIglmaZ pic.twitter.com/8Jeim87yJM
Pelosi’s comments come roughly a week after President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 and was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
After a brief weekend stay at the hospital, where he was administered an experimental drug cocktail and dexamethasone — a steroid used to treat seriously ill patients — Trump announced that he would return to the White House and said he felt “better than I did 20 years ago!”
However, questions still swirled about the president’s condition after White House physician Dr. Sean Conley refused to answer questions about the results of the President’s bloodwork or lung scans.
Medical experts have also noted that dexamethasone can provide a false sense of recovery and hide some of the symptoms even if the illness is still severe.
Pelosi noted that the White House has refused to share when Trump received his last negative test for the virus before he contracted the virus.
“There’s one question that they refuse to answer. Before he got the virus and admitted to it when was his last negative test? To make a judgment about the actions that were taken after that … It is a very important question for our country because now the president is saying that he probably got this from the Gold Star families.”
When asked if she believed it is time to invoke the 25th Amendment, Pelosi said, “I’ll talk to you about that tomorrow.”
#BREAKING: Pelosi discusses 25th Amendment.
— The Hill (@thehill) October 8, 2020
Reporter: "Do you think it's time to invoke the 25th Amendment?"
Speaker Pelosi: "I'll talk to you about that tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/MbzcbuY87r
While Conley has released updates on Trump’s health throughout the week that says the President’s condition has vastly improved, some have accused Trump of engaging in “erratic behavior.”
On Wednesday, Pelosi said she believes that Trump usually acts erratically. However, she implied that his medication may be influencing his behavior.
