You may have wondered what would happen if the US president passed away while in office given the recent health worries surrounding him. Here’s all the information you require.
There have been very few instances of a president passing away while in office throughout the 248-year history of the United States of America.
Four of those, admittedly, were assassinations, while the other four di:ed of natural causes. However, what if this happened in 2025 or before the conclusion of Donald Trump’s presidency?
As you may know, the last American president to pass away while in office was John F. Kennedy. And because of his passing, the constitution was changed to make it simpler to deal with what happens when a president passes away.
In fact, the 25th Amendment reads: “The Vice President shall become President if the President is removed from office, di:es, or resigns.”
What would happen, then, if President Trump di:ed before the conclusion of his second term in office?
Since he would be his successor, the vice president, in this case JD Vance, would be the first to learn of his passing. Flags will begin being lowered to half-staff for at least 30 days once the general public is informed.
A majority vote in both chambers of Congress would be required to confirm the new vice president, who would have to be nominated by the current one.
The position would then go to the Speaker of the US House of Representatives if, for any reason, this person is unable to assume it. This is Mike Johnson at the moment.
In the event that the President passes away outside of Washington, DC, the casket would be returned to the nation’s capital and put in the Capitol Rotunda, where the public might pay their condolences in person. Something similar happened when Queen Elizabeth II laid in state after her de:ath in 2022, as you may recall.
Even though the president works for the government, their own family will organize their funeral and they can be buried wherever they like. As a result, depending on their desires, the funeral itself may take a few days or even a week. In any case, it will be broadcast on television around the world, and numerous other global leaders will be attending to show their appreciation.
President Trump just took office earlier this year as part of his most recent four-year term, thus this could be a matter for concern considering the extensive discussion around the obvious bruises on his hands and the potential health issues they could represent.
