Oldest US president when he took office Dead or mentally disturbed: what happens if Trump fails?

No other US president was as old as Trump when he took office - not even Biden. What if he doesn't last the four years?

DPA

17.01.2025, 21:20

dpa

If Donald Trump moves back into the White House on Monday, he will be the oldest US president to take office. At 78, he is even a few months older than his predecessor Joe Biden four years ago, who was the oldest US president when he took office. The latter withdrew from the presidential race in the summer after doubts about his mental fitness. Every slip of the tongue and every stumble was a huge issue back then. With Trump, the issue of age is less virulent - partly because the Republican at least appears physically more sprightly than Biden.

But Trump will probably also have to put up with questions about his health and age in the coming years. What would happen if the Republican does not last the next four years?

Vice president takes over on death

When a US president dies, the vice president immediately takes office. In Trump's case, this would be former Senator J.D. Vance (40). In this case, Vance would take the oath of office and continue to conduct business. The number three in the state ranking after the US President and his Vice President is the Chairman of the US House of Representatives - in this case Republican Mike Johnson (52). This is followed by the President pro tempore of the Senate, then the Secretary of State, the Treasury Secretary and subsequently other cabinet members.

As the entire Cabinet and members of Congress are present at the US President's traditional State of the Union address, for example, one member of the Cabinet must always stay away from the speech due to the risk of an attack. This ensures that the government remains capable of acting. The principle is called "designated survivor". It is known from the television series of the same name with actor Kiefer Sutherland.

This allows the president to be declared unfit to govern

Section four of Article 25 of the Constitution allows the President to be declared incapable of "exercising the rights and duties of the office". However, the hurdles for this are extremely high - the section has never been applied. However, it has been discussed time and again - most recently after Biden's disastrous performance in the TV debate during the election campaign.

The vice president and a majority of the most important cabinet members must make a declaration to this effect in order to declare the president unfit to govern. They must submit this written declaration to the chairmen of the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, the President may object.

The Vice President and the relevant ministers can then overrule the President. The ball is then in Congress' court - and until a decision is made by Parliament, the Vice President is the acting President. Congress has 21 days to vote. A two-thirds majority is required in both chambers to impeach the president.