Presidential Line of Succession

Get Al Gore elected to congress, elect him to the speakership. Impeach trump and Pence.

Reset to 2000.

In fact, even if we take the House and Senate in 2018, there's no scenario where we have enough votes to convict in the Senate without substantial repub support. And if there is substantial repub support, a deal whereby Trump resigns will get worked out and either Pence will stay on as President, or if Pence resigns, Ryan will become President.

Won't happen.

If Trump goes first, Pence becomes POTUS and appoints a new VP. If Pence goes first Trump appoints a new VP.

Was not instantaneous. Over a month in Ford's case between nomination and approval.

... others from impeaching and removing him from office.

I'll bet there are other more comprehensive and authoritative sources online... but this was just a quickie Google search, and this popped up:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2001/03/how_is_a_new_vice_president_chosen.html



It's incomplete info because it doesn't specifically indicate that Ford needed congressional approval, but we can infer that he likely did have congressional approval because his own choice of Rockefeller needed congressional approval.

This snippet really isn't enough for the foundation of a detailed discussion, but it's enough for me to know what's likely to happen after Trump's impeachment or resignation. I hope it was interesting to you too.

Thanks for your follow-up NurseJackie. I needed another cup of coffee to do my own research so I appreciate your help!

When FDR died and Harry Truman became president, he did not have a VP for the balance of FDR's 4th term. There wasn't a Constitutional process to replace the VP. When Mr. Truman ran for election in 1948, Alben W. Barkley was his running mate and became VP when President Truman scored his famous upset election.

The next time in our nation's history that we had a vacancy was when JFK was assassinated in November 1963, (I'll never forget those horrible four days). As there was still no mechanism for replacing the VP, and there was less than a year until the next national elections, LBJ had no VP as he finished JFK's term. When he won election in 1974, Hubert H. Humphrey was his VP. Then the 25th Amendment was adopted on February 10, 1967. The Wikipedia article is informative:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

To our specific conversation, Section 2 of the 25th Amendment addresses a Vice Presidential vacancy. From Wikipedia:



Currently, the 25th Amendment is being discussed as Section 4 of the Amendment outlines the process for removing the President for various reasons.

In any event, now I need a third cup of coffee! Enjoy your weekend!

(I'll never forget either.)

of any bunch of Washington repukes.

is only if all of the previous in line die at the same time. Even being legally removed doesn't work because it can't happen at the same moment.

Nobody knows what could happen, but I could imagine them and Paul Ryan all being charged at the same time. (DT as an unindicted co-conspirator).

You sure have that right. I feel like I'm fishing for an angle most of the time just so I have something to hold on to.

He's taking Pence and Ryan with him.

Remember- there's NO ONE on earth who is more petty than Donald Trump.
He won't go with a whimper.
He'll tear this mother down.

He is a childish and petty man. The whole house of cards will come down.

The succession will be staged, and pardons will follow.

This makes me wonder, why the Dump gone, will his cabinet picks like Tillerson actually stay?

Under a "real" president, I don't see Tillerson, Mnuchin, Carson and that loony lady over at Education sticking around even with Pence.

void the election. I know our constitution doesn't specifically address this scenario, but any other result will mark the end of this democracy. The people would not stand for Pence & Ryan benefiting and using Trump's treason as a launch pad to set the country back decades.

I can deal with being set back 50 years if they win fair and square, but I will not see the erosion of my rights, my neighbors rights, and the environment due to laws passed by an illegally installed regime.

Remember how accepting the USA was of the Supreme court appointing Bush in effect. This will be easier once the evidence comes out.

Defense Sec comes after State in line of succession.

Weird that Treasury is before Defense.

If Pense resigned a VP could be appointed and then Trump resigns leaving none of those in succession as POTUS and VP...it has happened.

Not arguing why they would do that, but there are scenarios that could play out...just saying.

the replacement to be any better than this motley crew.

Pence could be pardoned and be replaced by Hillary (or Biden, etc.), then Trump resigns; in return both are pardoned.

Otherwise, both are prosecuted. If the only way to avoid a criminal trial was to play ball with the Democrats who agree to the deal.

Lots of hypotheticals, but technically possible.

so even in the very improbable scenario where donnie and pence agree in order to save their own hides, the senate would never agree. any republican senator who even appears to cooperate in making hillary president would be easily primaried.

after 45 resigns/is removed/has an untimely heart attack...

but at least whoever takes over would be viewed as even less legitimate than the current officeholder...

edited for spelling

er, I mean MAGgots.

Pence is almost as deep in this Russia stuff as Trump himself.

If Trump and Pence are both removed, whomever takes over is going to be so weak that they will be little more than a spokesperson for the office of the Presidency.

Trump's impeachment will destroy the Republican Party for a generation. Their agenda will be dead, their leaders disgraced.

Who will Pence pick that will survive the hearings?

What a pathetic and scary lineup.

Consider:

If the election itself is illegitimate, then it follows that, the Line of Succession is illegitimate. Even if Pence and everyone on down the line are innocent, the Line of Succession is illegitimate, regardless of the legal status of anyone in the line. This is unchartered territory, and there is nothing in the Constitution, that I can quickly recall, perhaps I'm wrong, that provides guidance for a foreign state basically picking our President over the will of the People. Since there is no Constitutional Remedy, we really have no quick fix for this. I don't claim to have answers. I would propose several solutions:



That's all I can think of now ... I think I'll start a thread on it, and people can come up with ideas to add to the thread.

Provide your idea for solutions here.

I know it's too much to ask for a special election, but I think we need to demand a new election.

Marching in the streets seems to be working pretty good.