Vice President Mike Pence — the first in line to assume the Oval Office if President Trump becomes too ill to carry out his duties — tested negative for the virus on Friday, a glimmer of stability on a day when questions are swirling over what comes next should Mr. Trump’s symptoms worsen.
The government’s continuity plan in case of a national emergency, which largely focuses on wide-scale attacks, outlines such a procedure.
The presidential line of succession, laid out in a 1947 law, falls first to Mr. Pence. If he were to become too ill to carry out the duties of the president, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, would step in. Ms. Pelosi has been tested and is waiting for her results. After Ms. Pelosi, Senator Chuck Grassley, currently the president pro tem, would step in. Next in line is the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo. Mr. Pompeo said on Friday that he tested negative and feels fine. Should Mr. Pompeo fall ill, the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, would step in. Mr. Mnuchin’s spokeswoman
tweeted on Friday that he, too, had tested negative. (An earlier version of this article omitted the president pro tem.)
Left unclear is how it is decided that a president is too ill to perform his duties.
The
25th Amendment was intended to deal with any ambiguity about who leads the government when a president cannot. If the president becomes sick and the cabinet determines that he or she is unable to perform the office’s duties, the amendment grants the administration the power to temporarily transfer authority to the vice president. Once the president deems himself fit, he can reclaim the power of the presidency.
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Pence, the next in line for the presidency, tests negative.