Vice President of the United States Mike Pence is President Donald Trump’s first successor if anything happens to him.
On Thursday evening (local time) the coronavirus was diagnosed in Trump, given his age and overweight, he falls into the risk category. Trump immediately announced on Twitter that he felt healthy, and for the time being, he will still do his job from the White House.
Should Trump become seriously ill from the virus, he can choose to transfer his power to Pence temporarily.
He does this by submitting a written statement to the president pro tempore of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. They are Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Pence will not become president, but the acting president.
If the president himself is no longer able to hand over power but is still alive, then the vice president and a majority of the most senior officials of the ministries must make clear in a written statement to Grassley and Pelosi that the president is in charge of his duties can no longer perform. The vice president then becomes acting president.
If something happens to Pence afterwards, for example, because he is also infected with the coronavirus through Trump or adviser Hope Hicks, he will be succeeded by his vice president. If he has not yet been appointed, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the one who takes over.
In this case, that’s one of Trump’s fiercest opponents, Nancy Pelosi. This has never happened in the history of the United States and the legality of a Congressman to become president in this way is disputed by many US lawyers.
The elections are in about a month. If Trump can’t take part in that, then the Republican party must choose a new presidential candidate. That doesn’t necessarily have to be his running mate Pence.
That choice does not have to go through primaries again, the electors can vote directly for a candidate nominated by the party. The presidential elections will then continue on November 3.