The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal said Thursday night that instead of impeaching President Trump or removing him under the 25th Amendment, it would be "best for everyone" if Trump "goes away quietly" on his own.
There are 13 days left in Trump's term, but after "Wednesday's disgrace" on the Capitol, the editorial board said, immediate action is necessary. "This was an assault on the constitutional process of transferring power after an election," the board said, and it went beyond "merely refusing to concede defeat. In our view it crosses a constitutional line that Mr. Trump hasn't previously crossed. It is impeachable."
The editorialists argued that Trump's actions were "a far greater dereliction of duty than his ham-handed Ukrainian interventions in 2019," but an impeachment this late in the presidency "won't be easy or without rancor" and would "further enrage" Trump supporters. If Trump was ousted under the 25th Amendment, that would "smack of a Beltway coup and give Mr. Trump more cause to play the political victim," the board added.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To avoid all of this, Trump's "best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign," the Journal's editorial board determined. "This would be the cleanest solution since it would immediately turn presidential duties over to [Vice President Mike] Pence. And it would give Mr. Trump agency, a la Richard Nixon, over his own fate." While an "act of grace by Mr. Trump isn't likely," the board lamented, it would be "best for everyone, himself included, if he goes away quietly."
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rivalSpeed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
