Representative Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, called for the invocation of the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump on Friday, citing concerns over his fitness for office following the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

Waters made the remarks on MSNBC‘s The Weeknight where she described the president’s actions as dangerous and unconstitutional.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment on Saturday evening.

Why It Matters

Waters’ call for the 25th Amendment marks a significant escalation in criticism from Democrats of Trump’s handling of the Federal Reserve and his broader approach to executive power. The removal of Cook, a sitting Fed governor, has sparked legal action and intensified scrutiny over Trump’s influence on U.S. monetary policy.

What Is the 25th Amendment?

The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlines the process for transferring presidential power when the president is unable to perform the duties of the office. Ratified in 1967, it was designed to address gaps in succession and clarify what happens in cases of death, resignation, or incapacity.

The amendment clarifies that if a president dies, resigns, or is removed, the vice president immediately assumes the presidency. It also allows for a new vice president to be nominated and confirmed if that office becomes vacant.

Notably, the amendment provides a process for temporarily transferring power if a president voluntarily declares they’re unable to serve—such as during a medical procedure. In more serious cases, it allows the vice president and a majority of Cabinet officials to declare the president unfit, triggering a shift in authority. If the president contests that decision, Congress must resolve the dispute, requiring a two-thirds vote in both chambers to maintain the vice president’s authority.

Though parts of the amendment have been used in limited circumstances, the clause allowing involuntary removal has never been invoked. It remains a constitutional safeguard for moments of crisis or instability at the highest level of government.

What To Know

Trump removed Cook from the Federal Reserve Board on Monday, alleging she misrepresented mortgage information. Cook responded with a lawsuit Thursday, arguing that her dismissal lacked legal justification and requesting a restraining order to remain in her post. The case is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court and Cook has denied any wrongdoing in relation to the mortgage application at the center of this dispute.

During her MSNBC appearance, Waters said Trump’s actions “could upend the entire economy” and urged Congress to act swiftly. She described the president as “unfit” and warned of the risks posed to democracy and financial stability.

“It is time to call for Article [Amendment] 25 of the Constitution of the United States of America to determine his unfitness, to determine that something’s wrong with this president,” the congresswoman said. “And I would suggest that we move very aggressively to talk about the danger to this country and to our democracy and not play around with this, because this is absolutely one of the most destructive things that this president could do.”

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, who also appeared on The Weeknight suggested Trump’s ultimate goal is to remove Fed Chair Jerome Powell, but is instead targeting individual board members. She criticized the rationale behind Cook’s removal, calling the allegations “preposterous” and unsupported by any formal investigation.

MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend noted the gravity of Waters’ remarks, saying, “Presidents have been impeached for much less.”

What People Are Saying

Representative Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, in her MSNBC appearance: “This stands to basically upend the entire economy. This stands to really deal with what is going to happen on Wall Street, what’s going to happen with interest rates, what’s going to happen with the president of the United States being able to make decisions that he will personally benefit from. And so the world, and certainly the United States, should be watching this very closely. As far as I’m concerned, we have to move very aggressively. It is not about lingering and trying to think that maybe the courts will help us.”

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, said in her MSNBC appearance: “Donald Trump’s real preference is to fire Jerome Powell. But he knows that that’s a bridge too far. So, what he’s doing instead is, he’s taking a monkey wrench, and he’s going to go in and try to meddle with the component parts of the Federal Reserve by trying to fire Lisa Cook on something that was maintained in the court case today, that she’s not even being investigated for. By the way, the so-called fraud that she is being accused of, she didn’t even get preferred interest rates on any of the mortgages that she obtained, which demonstrates that she didn’t break the law. It’s preposterous.”

Lisa Cook said in a recent statement to the Associated Press, “President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign.”

President Donald Trump said in Cook’s termination letter: “At a minimum, the conduct at issue exhibits the sort of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.”

What Happens Next?

Cook’s legal challenge is expected to proceed quickly through the courts, with the possibility of a Supreme Court review.

Meanwhile, calls for the 25th Amendment may gain traction among Democrats as scrutiny intensifies over Trump’s influence on independent institutions and the broader implications for constitutional checks and balances.