i didn't think you could change your VP after the election, or is that only after the ELECTORAL election?

also source?

also shit.

Article II, SECTION 4 of the Constitution says "The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

But does this language PRECLUDE the President from firing the VP?...or does it merely give Congress its own independent authority to remove the VP?

If the framers of the Constitution wanted sole authority to remove the VP to reside with Congress wouldn't they have said, "...shall be removed from Office ONLY on Impeachment for...."?

The VP can change after the election, but it would require impeachment, resignation, or death of Pence, not any action of the president.

It is fascinating to consider all the scheming and machinations going on in The Swamp. With a president this abnormal, everything is possible.

The big hole in the OP's theory is that having a democratic VP would give the Democrats a strong incentive to impeach him, and the Republicans in congress would be pissed off enough by the betrayal to join them. Trump is having to walk a tightrope of appeasing the Republicans enough for them to not impeach & replace him and not alienating his supporters who expect real reforms, it will be interesting to see on which side he falls off, although I think I already know.

"But does this language PRECLUDE the President from firing the VP?...or does it merely give Congress its own independent authority to remove the VP? "

IIRC, Spirro Agnew (Nixon's first VP) was forced to resign under threat of impeachment before they went after Nixon. The Democrats wanted him replaced by the Democratic Speaker of the House, which would've been essentially a coup-by-impeachment after Nixon resigned.

Guys I've figured it out.

Trump got elected. Then he'll dump Pence, and appoint Bernie as VP. Then Trump WILL RESIGN.

BERNIE CAN STILL WIN THIS GUYS

Strangely I think you actually would enjoy that Chaqa. Lol

Tolstoy, being "forced" to resign is not the same thing as being fired. Certainly, anyone can resign their own office. It's the "forced" part I'm interested in. If Agnew chose to stay on and Nixon didn't want the distraction of impeachment proceedings, could Nixon simply have said that he "lost faith" in Agnew or that Agnew was no longer serving "at the pleasure of the President"?

If there is no authority/law that EXPLICITLY stops a President from firing his VP, shouldn't he be able to do so? If being elected by the people was sufficient to protect the VP, wouldn't the Constitution have said so?

No, the president can't fire the VP. The closest thing is convincing him to resign. That position is typically an elected one. Presidents and Vice Presidents have hated each other in the past, but they couldn't be fired. Think back to Andrew Jackson and John C Calhoun. They hated each other as bitterly as two people could. But Jackson had to put up with him for years until the next election, where Calhoun ran to be a member of the Senate (and choosing to step down on his own from the VP spot), and Jackson getting a Democrat he could trust in Van Buren as his VP.

Part of the reason the Constitution isn't as clear as you'd like is because the VP used to be simply the runner-up in votes for President, leading to situations like the one TrPrado mentions.

I was never really that pro-Trump. I'm was always more anti-Hillary.

Actually, by the point of Jackson, that situation was already fixed. It's just electors really liked Calhoun as VP pick. That was the 12th Amendment, which was added because of Adams and Johnson being the second pres/VP.

The VP can change after the election, but it would require impeachment, resignation, or death of Pence, not any action of the president.

"death of Pence"

nah, Trump could do that one

Oops, make that Jefferson. Johnson wasn't yet VP. Or born.

But in the age of Trump, we need to rethink EVERYTHING. If there is no rule against it, just because it was never done in the past, does not mean Trump can't do it now. He's rewritten so many other "rules" already. What's one more?

The Vice President isn't a direct subordinate of the President.

If Trump pulls Pence into his office and says "You're fired," Apprentice-style, Pence will still be Vice President unless he himself chooses to resign.

Also, this story doing the rounds: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/735896/donald-trump-die-heart-attack-president-elect-claims-top-doctor

Also the federal government doesn't do at-will employment. So that REALLY doesn't work.

Also, Trump probably wouldn't be able to pick a Dem VP even if Pence did resign. As per the 25th Amendment, if there's a VP vacancy, the president can nominate a VP, but they have to receive a majority in both houses of Congress to assume the position. With Republicans leading in those, he has to stick with them and appease them.

Also, Republicans wouldn't dare take out Trump for conflicts of interest. Trump won the ticket, not Pence. Trump was the agent of change that got a winning election, not Pence. He can't actively oppose them, but they can't actively oppose him at the same time.

Trump to meet alien lizard overlords for baby stew? <-- about as plausible as actual thread title

This is good for bitcoin

The VP is an elected official, so he can't be removed from office.

That's not how that works.

He CAN be removed, but not NEARLY as easily as OP implies.

http://www.nyujlpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Brownell-The-Independence-of-the-Vice-Presidency-17NYUJLPP2.pdf

Although a President has never tried to forcibly remove his VP, this is a neat law paper on why it probably can't be done -- Starting on page 304, the paper cites: (i) several Constitutional provisions that tend to weigh against it; and (ii) cases that more explicitly refer to the independentness of the VP from removal by the President.

Good riddance, if it goes through.

My English teachers in high school would have crucified me with writing manuals and a red ink pen if I'd submitted a homework assignment with this thread's title as the title and the OP as the answer.

Well my Crucifiction teachers would have high school'd me with red manuals and writing ink pens.