An explosive account from a senior official of Donald Trump's administration has claimed the cabinet were so worried by the president’s erratic, impulsive behaviour they discussed using the 25th amendment to remove him from power.

Published in the New York Times, the anonymous op-ed reveals that senior figures considered deploying the extreme measure to oust the president.

The 25th amendment is designed to be used in the case of an incapacitated commander-in-chief.

It is not the first time during his presidency that the amendment has been mentioned in relation to Mr Trump.

In August last year the president's freewheeling campaign speech in Phoenix – during which he rounded on the media, attacked critics on his own side and threatened to shut down the government – also provoked alarm among viewers of all political hues.