Why We May Be Getting Close to Having President Pence

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page

06 October 17

y now Trump's principle cabinet officers know full well he's unfit to continue in office. Under the 25th amendment, whenever the Vice President and the principal cabinet officers tell the leaders of the House and Senate that the President is unable to discharge the duties of his office, the Vice President immediately assumes those powers.

We may be getting close. Consider:

1. Yesterday, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson called a news conference to affirm his support for Trump, despite what associates describe as his deep frustration with him. Tillerson didn't deny a report that he had referred to Trump as a “moron.” He has fumed at being undercut by Trump, as he was over the weekend when Trump publicly said Tillerson was “wasting his time” trying to open talks with North Korea.

2. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis openly split with Trump on abandoning the nuclear agreement with Iran. Mattis told senators it was in America’s interest to stick with the deal, which Trump calls a “disaster.”

3. There's no love lost between Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Trump. Last May, after a special counsel was appointed to investigate links between Trump's campaign associates and Russia, Trump called Session to the White House and unleashed a string of insults. Sessions later told associates that the demeaning way the president addressed him was the most humiliating experience in decades of public life.

So what if Tillerson, Mattis, and Sessions have a quiet meeting with Pence?

What do you think?