Jonathan Swan Reports White House Under ‘De Facto 25th Amendment’ With Cabinet Ignoring Trump, ‘Operating as If He Is Not the President’

Axios’ Jonathan Swan reported that the White House is now under a “kind of de facto 25th Amendment” as top cabinet officials essentially ignore Donald Trump while running their agencies and are “operating as if he is not the president.”

Swan appeared on Friday’s Deadline: White House to follow up on his own reporting from the day before, in which he noted “top remaining administration officials are preparing to resist any unlawful or dangerous orders in the closing days of Trump’s presidency.”

After the pro-Trump mob swept into the Capitol on Wednesday (and the president was reportedly “delighted” as he watched the chaos unfold), Washington has been abuzz with news that key cabinet officials, reported led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have discussed removing him via the 25th Amendment. Members of Congress from both parties have also endorsed that Constitutional remedy, citing Trump’s dereliction of duty and incitement of violence. However, Vice President Mike Pence reportedly opposes any effort to oust Trump.

“Is Donald Trump still functioning as the country’s commander in chief if his staff are not going to listen to him, they’re going to defy those orders and [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen.] Mark Milley has assured Nancy Pelosi that Trump can’t have access to the nuclear codes?” MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace asked Swan.

“It raises really uncomfortable questions about the chain of command and where we’re at right now with the government,” Swan conceded. “But the reality is, based on my reporting over the last 48 hours, is the idea of a 25th amendment, while it was raised in the heat of Wednesday, it was never seen as a serious possibility by members of the Cabinet.”

“But what has happened instead is kind of a de facto 25th amendment,” Swan noted of Trump’s cabinet. “They are operating as if he is not the president, many of these senior officials, ignoring him and staying away from the West Wing, staying away from him hoping that he doesn’t call. And just continuing to run their agencies and run the government without his involvement. And with a steely — and much more steely now — resolve that should he issue any orders that they deem dangerous or unlawful, they will flatly refuse those orders. That’s where we’re at.”

Watch the video above, via MSNBC.