Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is urging Congress to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office following his threats to Iran. The governor’s comments have sparked various reactions among the DePaul community.

Pritzker joined over 50 House Democrats and several conservatives in April who called for the removal of the president over his comments regarding foreign affairs. Trump has been vocal about the Iran war on various social media platforms, including his own Truth Social. 

In recent weeks on the platform, the president has given Iran’s leaders ultimatums if they did not open the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important transport routes for oil. In March, Trump said the United States would “hit and obliterate their various power plants, starting with the biggest one first.”

Chris Bury, a DePaul journalism professor and former ABC News correspondent, says the rising tensions between Trump and Iran have become “highly consequential.”

“It is a matter of life and death when it comes to war in Iran,” Bury said. 

The Strait of Hormuz has been a major point of contention during the war. It is a limited waterway in the Middle East, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman to the sea. Closing the Strait could severely impact international relations regarding the economy and military welfare. The U.S. and Iran are currently in a ceasefire, with a stipulation allowing safe passage through the strait.  

On April 7, Trump posted that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if a deal with Iran was not reached. In response, Pritzker also posted on social media, saying it was time for Trump to leave office, and “the 25th Amendment must be invoked.”

The 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that if the president dies, is impeached or is unable to fulfill their duties, the vice president would take over their position. 

However, the amendment has never been implemented. Bury says utilizing the amendment is “basically impossible,” especially because Vice President JD Vance is “extremely loyal to President Trump.”

Invoking the 25th Amendment is unlikely due to the vice president’s unwillingness to act, which is necessary as the amendment requires the vice president and the majority of the cabinet to initiate the process.

Julian Blair, a DePaul senior studying international studies and German, takes issue with the hypocrisy of the United States.

“It’s incredibly contradictory, considering that there are 13 U.S. Navy ships, which are also blocking the Hormuz Strait in Iran right now,” Blair said.

He also noted that finding reliable information about the war is “really difficult” in this current political climate.

“It’s impossible to find independent news sources about this right now,” Blair said.

Nate Page, a freshman studying art, said the president’s comments about Iran create conflicts with political allies.  

“I think it’s shaping up for other countries to think that America doesn’t make good decisions at all, and they can’t make a good leader, or they have to be given a tyrannical leader for them to function in a way,” Page said. 

While Page voiced concerns about how U.S. leaders are presented and interpreted around the world, journalism professor Bury offers a political stance regarding the governor’s remarks.

Bury says Pritzker’s reaction is political and symbolic. He says the governor is claiming that the president’s calls for the death of an entire civilization are dangerous. 

“Pritzker clearly felt that was outrageous,” Bury said. 

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