36 Doctors Call for Trump’s Immediate Removal Over Alleged Cognitive Decline

Thirty-six physicians formally told the U.S. Congress that the sitting president of the United States is mentally unfit to hold office. It was a signed medical statement, now part of the official Congressional Record, calling for Donald Trump’s removal “with the greatest urgency.” Their central concern: a man in cognitive decline controls the world’s most powerful nuclear arsenal.

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Who Signed the Letter

The group neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, and other clinicians from institutions including Harvard, Columbia, Tufts, and George Washington University. Among them is Eric Chivian, a co-founder of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The statement notes that the signers hold both conservative and liberal views, explicitly framing it as a medical matter, not a partisan one.

What the Doctors Observed

The physicians described what they called a “marked deterioration in cognitive functioning,” pointing to disorganized speech, factual confusion, rambling tangents, and sudden, unexplained reversals in policy decisions. They also cited grandiose and delusional beliefs. Crucially, the group acknowledged it had not examined Trump in person and offered no formal clinical diagnosis, basing its assessment entirely on publicly observable behavior and statements.

The Oldest President in American History

Context matters here. At 79, Trump is the oldest person ever inaugurated as U.S. president, surpassing Joe Biden by about five months when he took office in January 2025. Age alone does not determine fitness, but it has amplified public and medical scrutiny of his health. Questions about cognitive decline, visible bruising, and undisclosed medical procedures have followed his presidency since before his second term began.

The Nuclear Threat at the Heart of the Warning

The doctors’ most alarming argument is not about Trump’s speech or social media posts. It is about the nuclear codes. Under current U.S. policy, the president alone can authorize a nuclear strike with no requirement for approval from Congress, Cabinet members, or military advisers. Signatory Henry David Abraham pointed specifically to Trump’s past threats of annihilation against foreign nations as evidence that unchecked nuclear authority in his hands poses a catastrophic global risk.

Entered Into the Congressional Record

On April 30, 2026, the statement was formally submitted to the U.S. Senate by Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, both of Rhode Island, giving it official legislative standing. Entering a document into the Congressional Record does not trigger any automatic legal process, but it ensures the warning is permanently embedded in the formal record of government. It also escalates the political stakes, forcing lawmakers to publicly acknowledge or dismiss the doctors’ concerns.

The 25th Amendment Option

The physicians urged invocation of the 25th Amendment, a constitutional mechanism that allows the vice president and a majority of Cabinet secretaries to declare a president unable to perform his duties. If invoked, the vice president would assume presidential powers unless Trump contested the move, which would then require Congress to decide the outcome. No president has ever been removed through the 25th Amendment. The process is politically complex and depends entirely on the willingness of Cabinet officials to act.

The White House Fires Back

The administration rejected the doctors’ statement without engaging its specific claims. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle called Trump “the sharpest and most accessible President in American history” and affirmed he remains in “excellent health.” Trump himself has frequently cited his performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment as proof of mental fitness, though medical experts note the test is a basic screening for early dementia signs, not a measure of overall cognitive ability or presidential fitness.

A Pattern of Health Questions

This is not the first time Trump’s physical condition has drawn concern. Recurring bruises on his hands, an undisclosed MRI at Walter Reed in October 2025, and a July 2025 diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency have all fueled speculation. His April 2025 physical, conducted by White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella, declared him “fully fit to serve as commander in chief,” a finding the administration has relied on to counter every subsequent round of medical scrutiny.

A Question With No Easy Answer

Thirty-six doctors raised an alarm. A constitutional tool exists to act on it. But the 25th Amendment requires political courage from the very officials who serve under the president they would be removing. The deeper question this moment raises goes beyond Trump: the United States has no formal, independent system for evaluating whether any sitting president is mentally fit to control nuclear weapons. Whether that changes may depend on how seriously this warning is taken.