Disturbing Precedent: Can the 25th Amendment Be Used to Oust a President Who Calls for Military Action in U.S. Cities?

How JB Pritzker’s call for invoking the 25th Amendment over Trump’s “training ground” remarks lays bare the chilling constitutional and political obstacles, and whether Project 2025 even contemplates

Natalie C. Frank, Ph.D October 1, 2025

J.B. Pritzker; USBettingSite [CC BY-ND 2.0]

ILLINOIS - Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Tuesday publicly urged invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump after the president suggested deploying troops into major U.S. cities, including Chicago, as “training grounds” for the military. Pritzker went further, saying, “There is something genuinely wrong with this man,” and accusing Trump of copying Vladimir Putin’s playbook. His call highlights how rarely and perilously the amendment has been used, and why few are willing or able to try.

Below is a deeper look at who can trigger a 25th Amendment vote, why doing so is so fraught, what happens if Cabinet members refuse or act preemptively, and whether Project 2025 even envisions this constitutional option.

During talks with military leaders, Trump suggested using Chicago and other “dangerous cities” as training grounds:

“I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military. National Guard, but military. Because we’re going into Chicago very soon. That’s a big city with an incompetent governor.”

Pritzker fired back:

“It appears that Donald Trump not only has dementia set in, but he’s copying tactics of Vladimir Putin. Sending troops into cities, thinking that’s some sort of proving ground for war … is just, frankly, inane and I’m concerned for his health. … There is something genuinely wrong with this man, and the 25th Amendment ought to be invoked.”

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