What is Next for America if Trump Dies?
After rising health concerns for Trump took over many news headlines, almost every social media platform began debating the cause of Trump’s recent weekend disappearance. Hundreds of theories arose, though one in particular gained the most traction. What if Trump was dead? After a press conference in the Oval Office where Trump was seen very much alive, we now know for certain that he has, in fact, not passed away, but many are still wondering, what would happen if Trump passed away while in office?
Has This Happened Before?
Over the course of the United States’ history, only eight presidents have died while in office. Four of these deaths were due to natural causes while the other four were by assassination.
The most recent example of protocol following a president’s death is John F. Kennedy. After his assassination in 1963 during a motorcade in Texas, his Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office mere hours after the incident took place.
Who Would Become President?
The most immediate actions taken after a president finds themselves no longer able to hold office are as written in the 25th amendment, “In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the vice president shall become president. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the vice president, the president shall nominate a vice president who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.”
Meaning current Vice President JD Vance would be sworn in as acting president and thereafter be given the duty of nominating a new vice president. It was made to be this way in order to create a smoother transfer of power and lessen any chaos or confusion that might ensue.
If for any reason the vice president is not able to serve as acting president, the order of succession is as follows:
Speaker of the House
President pro tempore of the Senate
Cabinet secretaries beginning with State, Treasury, and Defense
After the president’s role in office has been filled, the public will then be informed, flags will be lowered to half-staff for a short period of time, and a funeral will be held.
In an exclusive interview with USA Today, Vance confirmed that he is well prepared if something were to happen, sharing, “if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
What Might Vance’s Presidency Look Like?
There is no way to say for certain what an administration under Vance would look like, but both Trump and Vance have similar ideologies so we can assume that it might look similar to one under Trump policy wise. Though, a key difference between the two is that of their followings. Where Trump has the mass support of his MAGA following, Vance is lacking in that level of support from the public. If Trump dies, this could mean a harder time getting support from the public and an even harder time getting severe right-wing policies and project 2025 related legislation passed without rising amounts of uproar against him.
Trump has an incredible amount of power outside of the office. His various connections with other rich and powerful people in addition to his large following put him in a position to be able to make decisions he doesn’t have to face consequences for. If Vance were to take office, it is likely that Trump has set up this system where these extreme right-wing policies can continue to be passed. However, without Trump those who support extreme right-wing and MAGA ideologies will not be as powerful as they were with Trump.
In the case it is confirmed and released to the public that Trump’s name is in the Epstein Files, it is also unlikely he will step down unless forcibly made to. While he may not leave office, one thing that is likely is he will lose some of the mass amounts of support from his followers.
It is possible other countries won’t necessarily be relieved either if Trump dies. There may be more stability and deliberate moves made regarding disruptive actions taken toward other countries which means less worry over the unpredictability of Trump, but with Trump there has been room for deals and swaying opinions. Vance seems to have publicly declared a stricter viewpoint on certain foreign topics which leaves less of a chance to change opinions like there is with Trump.
