If Trump and Biden both died today, what would happen?
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.
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.
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.
This would mean nothing because the electoral college exists. Likely all the red states would opt for the Republican candidate and blue for the Democratic candidate.
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.
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.
We estimate that 50% of young people, ages 18-29, voted in the 2020 presidential election, a remarkable 11-point increase from 2016 (39%) and likely one of the highest rates of youth electoral participation since the voting age was lowered to 18.
Probably the parties and their donors would scramble to replace them.
Harris has a leg up as she would be promoted to President and would be the incumbent. But she might not be prepared for a primary. Probably Gavin Newsom, her and a couple people would fight over some key endorsements and donors.
Well Chris Christie and Mike Pence would probably kick themselves as they just dropped out of the race. In a lot of ways, the republican race wouldn't change much. At least Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis would still be fighting over the voters not waiting for Trump to resurrect three days later.
The really dicy shit happens if the winning candidate dies before inauguration.
not waiting for Trump to resurrect three days later.
I hadn't thought of this. Now there's no question in my mind there would be those adamant this would happen. Then on the fourth day, blame the democrats somehow.
Them both being dead is both convenient and conveniently suspicious. Since Trump is guarded by secret service, conspiracies would arise saying they (under Bidens order, or a Harris power grab) killed him. It would be completely absurd given the circumstances and no reputable source would support it, but people would believe it anyway and Fox would push the story. Widely broadcast funerals for each of them.
Then nothing... The conspiracies would flow, but nothing much would change.
I'm not sure anyone on the dem side would primary Harris, however. If she is primaried, Gavin Newsome would probably be sworn in about this time next year.
Honestly, I think if Trump died instantaneous there would be a massive movement claiming that the current Administration was the cause of death and they would use the most recent judicial hearing regarding Seal Team 6 as evidence towards it. There would be no proof of anything because like you said it was a natural death but that would not be enough to prove anything and I believe there would still be riots
As for if the president dropped dead, the vice president would take over and there would likely be an investigation into an assassination attempt but I don't think anything would come out of it because like mentioned it would be a natural death.
Neither have been elected yet. The Democrat and Republican parties would both nominate new candidates for president and then people would vote on them.
If you're talking about after they've been elected then the vice president takes over as president, followed by the speaker of the house if the vice president is incapacitated.
Important to note that the speaker only takes over if the president and vp died together. If the president dies, the vp takes over and picks a new vp, who would then be first in the line of succession.
Sanely, the vice president takes over for the duration of the term and the primary goes as usual, just missing the two previous top picks. That being said we live in a society with a disturbing amount of violent conspiracy theorists so no telling what the aftermath of that one would be.