Vice President Mike Pence is apparently either so scared or so sycophantic that he refuses to take his constitutional responsibilities under the 25th Amendment of the Constitution seriously, drawing a rebuke from presidential historian Michael Beschloss.

After President Donald Trump announced that he tested positive for the coronavirus, which has killed 210,000 Americans and puts him at particular risk considering his age and weight, Pence was directly asked if he would take over for Trump as acting president.

The 25th Amendment was put in place precisely to make sure someone is at the helm if the president gets sick or is incapacitated. Well, Trump has been hospitalized and this virus has been known to do damage to organs from the heart and lungs, to the brain.

If ever there were a time for Pence to assume the office, even temporarily, it’s now.

But during a Fox News appearance, he completely shirked that responsibility.

“I’m always informed of the president’s movements,” Pence said. “I don’t recall being told to be on stand by. I was informed the president had a doctor’s appointment.”

That statement left Beschloss flabbergasted after he saw the clip during an appearance on MSNBC.

“Unbelievable, unbelievable,” Beschloss said. “That was — what you just heard Mike Pence say was exactly what the 25th Amendment was passed by Congress to avoid. The whole point is to have a formal system to transfer power without scaring anyone if the president gets sick or goes under anesthesia. He’s not under anesthesia, but he is sick right now. Obviously, Mike Pence is afraid of looking as if he’s seizing power and doesn’t want to upset his boss.”

Here’s the video via YouTube:

It’s disturbing that Pence is so sycophantic that he’s willing to stand aside and twiddle his thumbs while letting Trump continue on as president while sick. Again, this virus does things to people. It can affect the brain. America needs a president, especially in this time of crisis. Trump is going to have to focus more on his health than governing. Of course, Trump really has not focused on governing much anyway, but Pence should not flippantly ignore his constitutional obligation as vice president. He needs to say he’s prepared to step up and his reluctance to do so only hurts American morale and confidence.

Clearly, our nation needs a change at the top and a change at the number two spot. Because you can bet that former Vice President Joe Biden would fully expect Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to take over from him if he gets sick. That’s why we have a vice president, so if Pence is unwilling to fulfill all of his duties, he should resign.

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