Trump Aide: President Left Succession Letter for JD Vance

Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump, has said the president left written instructions for Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office in case something happens to him, Fox News reported.

Gorka made the claim on the Pod Force One podcast. “There is a letter in the drawer in the Resolute Desk that is addressed to the vice president should something happen to him”, he said.

Gorka added there were other contingency arrangements in place. “We have protocols, trust me. Not ones I can discuss, but we have protocols.”

The comments came after Trump faced repeated threats to his life, including an attempted shooting near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April. Gorka said he doubted foreign states would try to target the president during his trip to Beijing, arguing that world leaders wanted to maintain good relations with him.

The White House did not directly comment on the reported letter. Fox News said a spokesperson instead referred to an earlier Trump interview with NewsNation, in which the president said he had issued “very firm instructions” in case he was “taken out” by the Iranian regime.

Under the US Constitution, the vice president is first in line to assume the presidency. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 sets out the order after the vice president, beginning with the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate, followed by eligible Cabinet officials.

(max)