What is the order of presidential succession?
If the president dies, resigns, or is removed, the vice president becomes president immediately. After the vice president, the line continues through the Speaker of the House, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and then Cabinet secretaries in a fixed statutory order set by the Presidential Succession Act.
Presidential succession is the process by which power transfers if the sitting president is unable to serve. The 25th Amendment (ratified 1967) governs the first two steps and also provides for filling a VP vacancy. The rest of the line is established by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, as amended in 2006 when the Secretary of Homeland Security was added.
The constitutional line of succession begins: (1) Vice President; (2) Speaker of the House; (3) President pro tempore of the Senate; (4) Secretary of State; (5) Secretary of the Treasury; (6) Secretary of Defense; (7) Attorney General; (8) Secretary of the Interior; (9) Secretary of Agriculture; (10) Secretary of Commerce; (11) Secretary of Labor; (12) Secretary of Health and Human Services; (13) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; (14) Secretary of Transportation; (15) Secretary of Energy; (16) Secretary of Education; (17) Secretary of Veterans Affairs; (18) Secretary of Homeland Security.
One important constraint: a person can only serve as acting president if they are constitutionally eligible for the presidency - meaning they must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. Cabinet secretaries who are naturalized citizens are in the statutory line but cannot actually exercise the office.
The 25th Amendment adds two additional mechanisms beyond the succession line: Section 3 lets the president voluntarily transfer power to the VP during a medical procedure (used by Reagan in 1985, George W. Bush in 2002 and 2007, and Biden in 2021), and Section 4 allows the VP and a cabinet majority to declare the president unable to serve, subject to a two-thirds congressional vote if contested. Section 4 has never been formally invoked.
Related: What is the 25th Amendment? | Who will be the 2028 VP? | Who can run for president in 2028?
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Related explainers
The 25th Amendment (ratified 1967) governs presidential succession, fills vacancies in the Vice Presidency, and sets the process for removing a president who is unable to perform their duties. Its Section 4 - cabinet-and-VP removal - has never been formally invoked.
It depends on when. Before the convention, the primary continues with remaining candidates. After the nomination but before Election Day, the party national committee picks a replacement. After the election, electors typically vote for the vice-presidential nominee, and the 20th Amendment covers succession from there.
Yes. The vice president faces the same eligibility requirements as any other candidate: natural-born citizen, age 35+, 14 years U.S. residency. There is no rule preventing a VP from running for president.
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