Donald Trump has claimed Democrat moves to set up a panel to judge the US presidents' capacity to govern is aimed at removing an "out of it" Joe Biden if he is elected.
Trump tweeted the incendiary comment yesterday within hours of Democratic Congress representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, introducing a bill modifying the 25th Constitutional Amendment to establish the panel to determine the sitting president's physical and mental fitness for office.
The move had been seen as a dig at Trump over his recent diagnosis with COVID-19 and speculation that he showed signs of 'steroid euphoria' in confident video statements made after his hospitalisation last Friday.
But Trump sought to turn it back on his opponents, insisting the Democrats were plotting a palace coup against their presidential candidate if he is elected on November 3, installing his running-mate Kamala Harris in his place.
"This legislation applies to future presidents, but we are reminded of the necessity of action by the health of the current president", Pelosi said.
The 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967, codifies the procedure for replacing a president if they die are are are incapacitated in office.
Section Four allows the vice president, along with a "majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide", to deem the sitting president "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office," but has never been invoked.
