Though only 10 days remain in his term of office, President Donald Trump has steadfastly rejected all calls for him to resign after thousands of his supporters staged an armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead on Wednesday.

A second impeachment of Trump will begin on Monday, but there are also reports that if the president becomes “more unstable,” Vice President Mike Pence would be willing to consider invoking the 25th Amendment and removing his boss from office, according to Jim Acosta of CNN:

“The source said there is some concern inside Pence’s team that there are risks to invoking the 25th Amendment or even to an impeachment process, as Trump could take some sort of rash action putting the nation at risk.

“As of Saturday evening, Trump and Pence still have not spoken since the Wednesday incursion at the US Capitol that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, another source told CNN. The President has also not made any public comments denouncing death threats that have been posted on social media targeting Pence.

“‘Pence has finally “gotten a glimpse of POTUS’s vindictiveness,’ one source said, using the acronym for President of the United States.”

Pence’s hope, Acosta added, is that Trump can be kept under control for several more days, which would help foster a smooth transition to the incoming Biden administration:

“For now, the source said Pence and his advisers hope to provide a bridge to the next administration and do as much as possible to assist President-elect Joe Biden’s team in preparing for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. But, the source cautioned, it has become clear this week that it is necessary to keep the 25th Amendment option on the table based on Trump’s actions.”

One wonders, however, exactly how much “more unstable” Trump has to become before Pence would move to remove his boss from office. Would it require the deaths of thousands more Americans or some other unconstitutional act being ordered by the president? Only Pence knows the answer to that question.

Featured Image Via Screenshot