Everything that would happen if Trump died whilst in office
Donald Trump has had numerous health scares in recent years, and this is the protocol if the worst were to happen
Donald Trump is mid-way through his second term in office, and is also the oldest person to be inaugurated as US president.
While his predecessor Joe Biden takes the record of the oldest person to take the top job, Trump was actually older than Biden was when he was elected for his second term, at 78 years and 7 months.
By contrast, Biden was aged 78 and 61 days when he was elected, even though he was then older while in office.
To date eight presidents have died in office, four by natural causes and four by assassination.
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There has been three publicised assassination attempts against the President, but many critics and supporters are also worried about what might happen if Trump were to die of natural causes due to his age and health, with rashes, bruises, swelling and more.
The most high profile incident was in July 2024, when Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds from a nearby rooftop, striking Trump's right ear and killing a supporter who was stood on bleachers behind the President.
Two months later, a Secret Service agent noticed somebody was pointing a rifle barrel through a fence of Trump's Palm Beach Golf resort.
Gunman Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Last month an armed man broke into the grounds of Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, and the would-be attacker was fatally shot on the scene.
Following the assault on Iran, Trump also answered a question about why he took out the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.
According to the New York Post, Trump told ABC News he did it before Khamenei could 'get him first'.
What happens if Trump dies in office
Needless to say, an in depth plan has been laid out, should the worst happen either by assassination or natural causes.
The US government website spells out what would happen, on a page called 'Order of presidential succession'.
It details what happens if Trump were to 'become incapacitated, die, resign, become unable to hold office', or be 'removed from office'.
It falls under a section of the Constitution called the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.
Power would immediately be passed to the Vice President, JD Vance.
After Vance the next in line is the Speaker of the House, then the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, then the Secretary of State.
It then progresses down through the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defence, and the Attorney General.
If Trump were to die, Vance would be sworn in as soon as possible.
He could then either keep the same cabinet, or pick his own.
He would also then choose a new Vice President to replace him under the 25th Amendment, however both houses of Congress have to approve the post of VP.
How long could his replacement serve as President?
According to the 22nd amendment: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."
In other words, it depends on how far into the term he took over.
If Vance had more than two years in office of Trump's term, he could only be elected once in his own right.
However, if there was less than two years, he could be elected twice.
Topics: Donald Trump, JD Vance, Politics, US News
Jen Thomas