The NAACP, for the first time in its history, has called for the removal a sitting president, Donald Trump. On April 7, Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, called Trump, “unfit, unwell, and unhinged.” The oldest civil rights organization in the country is calling for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, underlying the gravity of the Trump presidency.
The NAACP, long a stalwart advocate and fighter for African American rights, called for “urgent action” to respond to Trump’s “deteriorating health and increasingly delusional behavior.” The NAACP elucidated, arguing, “The rhetoric and actions emanating from the highest office in the land have reached a level of instability that poses a direct danger to the well-being of millions of Americans.”
Strong calls for congressional action have increased exponentially in recent days, in particular, since Trump threatened to bomb civilian facilities and infrastructure in Iran, including power plants and bridges. On Tuesday, April 7, Trump warned, “A whole civilization will die tonight.”
Such threats are war crimes under Article 51 of the Geneva Convention. Threats of violence mainly intended to sow terror among a civilian population are expressly precluded under Article 51(2) of the Additional Protocol on the Geneva Convention. Such actions are serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Under this Protocol, Trump would likely qualify as a war criminal already due to earlier actions, like the slaughter of 165 children, ages 7-12, at an Iranian girls’ school at the start of the illegal U.S.-Israeli war, as well as the crimes against humanity of mass deportations in the U.S. and the killings of dozens in boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.
In its indictment, the NAACP focused on a combination of domestic and foreign policy actions. “In recent weeks, the president’s erratic statements and actions have raised grave concerns about his ability to fulfill the duties of his office,” the group said. “This is not merely a matter of political disagreement; it is a matter of national security, global stability, and the very fabric of our democracy.”
The NAACP statement given by Johnson went on:
“The rhetoric and behavior we are witnessing from Trump isn’t just alarming, it’s dangerous. When the person entrusted with the highest office in the land demonstrates a disregard for truth, stability, and the well-being of the American people, it’s a threat to the entire nation and the world. Trump must be immediately removed from office.”
The 25th Amendment applies when a president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. In this regard, the NAACP position cited Trump’s inability to “think clearly.”
“The 25th Amendment provides a critical mechanism for addressing presidential incapacity, and we cannot afford to ignore its provisions,” said the civil rights organization.
Undoubtedly, Trump and his coterie of sycophantic advisers did not know, or did not care, that his threats constituted war crimes. The president and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in particular, seem to still be determined to run the country as if policy were a reality show or a private business. But the so-called “art of the deal” does not apply. Further, their lack of knowledge of international conventions does not exculpate them, for to cite an old axiom, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
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