California Governor Gavin Newsom is calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office under the 25th Amendment, accusing the president of being “mentally ill” following comments he made about Iran potentially attacking Los Angeles and San Diego.
The problem for Newsom?
President Donald Trump signs executive actions to support the coal industry at an Unleashing American Energy Executive Order event, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
Donald Trump. Image Credit: White House Flickr.
His claim about Trump is categorically false.
“Donald Trump is mentally ill. TIME FOR THE 25TH!” Newsom said in a statement released to multiple news organizations on Wednesday, October 7.
The comments come after President Donald Trump said during a Grand Island, Nebraska rally on Monday that the war with Iran is a “small price to pay” to prevent the Islamic regime from building a nuclear weapon.
During that speech, he also referenced the possibility of Tehran eventually possessing weapons capable of threatening American cities.
Newsom interpreted the remarks oddly and has since doubled down on his mistake—even as news outlets have publicly admitted they got the president’s words wrong.
Newsom Calls Trump Mentally Ill
Newsom first responded to the president’s comments by accusing him of being “deranged and dangerous.” The California Governor claimed that the president was calling on America’s enemies to attack Los Angeles and San Diego — but he said no such thing.
The governor subsequently told TIME and other outlets that Trump was mentally ill and called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked.
This isn’t the first time Newsom has suggested using the constitutional provision against Trump, either. In July, he similarly described another speech as a potential “25th Amendment moment.”
Newsom also directed California’s State Threat Assessment Center to monitor whether foreign actors respond to Trump’s remarks as an invitation to target the state.
Other California Democrats joined Newsom in condemning the president, too. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Trump’s statement irresponsible, while San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city was not expendable.
Some Republicans were also angry.
Republican congressional candidate Jim Desmond, a Navy veteran, also rejected Trump’s language, saying no American city should ever be considered acceptable collateral damage.
Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley similarly described the rhetoric as unhelpful.
But what did Trump really say?
What Trump Said
During his Nebraska speech, Trump did not tell Iran to attack California, but instead argued that the economic and military costs of the war were justified because, in his view, allowing Iran to develop a nuclear weapon could eventually put American cities at risk.
His references to Los Angeles and San Diego were clearly hypothetical examples of cities that could be threatened by a future nuclear-armed Iran, not an invitation to attack them.
“They can take out a city,” Trump said. “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.”
Newsom’s Big Stretch
While it could be argued that Trump’s wording was ambiguous, the surrounding comments made during the same speech make the president’s point clear.
Trump was discussing the consequences of allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and argued that higher fuel prices and the costs of the current war were preferable to a future in which the United States is vulnerable to an Iranian attack.
The White House has since made that clear in official statements, too, reiterating that the president was warning about what could happen if Iran’s nuclear ambitions are left unaddressed.
Newsom’s interpretation, though, goes well beyond the president’s actual words – and even a traditionally left-leaning media outlet has suggested as much.
The Guardian newspaper initially published a headline suggesting that Trump had said Iran should be allowed to attack Los Angeles and San Diego, but subsequently amended the story and headline and issued a retraction.
The newspaper added a correction stating that Trump had suggested Iran could take out the two U.S. cities, but that he “did not suggest that it do so, as the original headline indicated.”
That is an important distinction.
The 25th Amendment
Newsom’s call for the 25th Amendment is curious.
Section 4 of the amendment was created specifically to address a president’s inability to discharge the powers and duties of the office, including serious physical or mental incapacity.
The 25th Amendment is not a vote of no confidence, as seen in the British Parliament.
It is also not another version of impeachment. It has a very specific role and function.
To strip a president of his power under Section 4, the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet would need to declare the president unable to perform his duties.
Then, if Trump disputed that finding and the vice president and Cabinet maintained their position, Congress could ultimately decide the issue with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.
Section 4 has never been invoked before.
Nothing in the Nebraska comments establishes that the president is incapable of performing his duties, or indeed that the president was encouraging Iran to attack the United States.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, and he produces and edits analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at 19FortyFive and National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
