Imagine the following scenario: On the 9th of January 2024 in the morning we wake up to news that President of the USA Joe Biden suffered a stroke and died in White House. The administration confirms that the death was entirely natural and no third party contributed to it. Even before the news reach all TV stations another one breaks: Former president of the USA Donald Trump has suffered a cardiac arrest and died in his residence in Mar a Lago. Early reports claim that the site was secure and no malicious actor could reasonably reach Mr. Trump so the death is most likely natural.
What happens then?
uhh the vice president takes over, and the parties pick new candidates.
pretty basic actually.
and realistically, they havent even officially picked candidates yet. so other than trump tornado dying not much would change.
Not only that, but there’s an entire line of presidential succession. It’s part of a broader concept of ‘continuity of government’. Basically, it ensures that there’s always someone formally in charge. You could vaporize half the country including every senior official and there’d still be a legit, sworn in president in a few hours.
There’s basically contingencies upon contingencies. One interesting book on the topic is ‘Raven Rock’ by Garrett M. graff.
The plotline of the show Designated Survivor. Follows Kiefer Southerland as a Sec of HUD that has to take over following a terrorist attack. He basically carries the show, it’s pretty good.
Also of Battlestar Galactica, the documentary about our past, where the secretary of education is made president, but has cancer and survives for all of the seasons.
Kamala Harris becomes President, VP office is empty until she nominates a replacement and they’re confirmed by a majority vote of both houses of Congress, which likely does not happen.
DNC needs to figure out how to select a new candidate, likely using a process they’ve created already but never tested.
RNC already had primaries scheduled, and they’ll remove Trump from ballots where possible, as he’d be ineligible on account of having died, and they continue their primary process. It’s probably between Haley and Desantis in the end, seeing who can pick up more Trump voters. Ramaswami probably becomes a bit more relevant, but still loses.
The media loses their minds, and the people of the Internet make so many references to Death Note.
You forgot the part where millions of people still write in Donald Trump based on the widespread conspiracy that he’s still alive, and we get to figure out what happens when a state tries to elect a dead man.
This happened in Missouri in 2000 for a senate seat. The governor appointed his widow to the senate seat which she lost in the special election shortly afterwards.
If Biden died, his VP, Kamala Harris would become the president–the first woman president, as it happens. Everything would pretty much go on as it was.
Trump’s death is entirely irrelevant to this scenario, and not useful to consider.
Trump’s death is entirely irrelevant to this scenario, and not useful to consider.
You’re only addressing what happens with the current administration. OP’s question as stated opens the door to discussion about the 2024 election, the MAGA movement, the state of fascism in the nation etc.
Never really thought it like this before, but would the entire chain move up? Like Speaker comes VP or would Harris get to select a new VP?
Kamala Harris becomes President, and the GOP implodes under the weight of a million conspiracy theories.
Don’t forget the infighting. I imagine it would be glorious. Like watching the inbred redneck family having an all out brawl at Walmart.
And then comes the conspiracy theories. Which will happen if either of them die any time soon anyway. Because what are the odds of old men randomly dying, right? There must be a conspiracy!
Trump having a heart attack before the election would provide enough conspiracy theories for a lifetime, and it honestly seems about as likely as him not having a heart attack.
I’d love to hit a few qultists I know with the “dIeD sUdDeNlY!!” bullshit they spew if trump died before the election.
A party, untill they democratically elect the next only given sociopathic geriatric option.
