An explosion of viral speculation over President Trump’s “death” followed Vice President Vance’s comment on assuming the presidency:: “God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than...the last 200 days." But is the White House truly prepping us for a world without Trump?
From the secret surgery on Grover Cleveland, to Edith Wilson supposedly filling in for her ailing husband, Woodrow, concealing presidents’ poor health is U.S. history. And that history led to a 1967 constitutional amendment regarding presidential incapacitation – the Vice President becomes president.
Last year, Mother Jones envisioned a J.D. Vance presidency. Vance owes his rise to the PayPal Mafia of tech billionaires. He is also anti-union, and cheered on Elon Musk’s attacks on the National Labor Relations Board. Regarding the economy, we could expect more tariffs and penalties for hiring immigrant workers.
Vance could also push for a nationwide abortion ban, advocating for pronatalism and police access to our private medical records. He’d likely support laws making it harder for us to vote, too. Vance has already reinforced opposition to checks and balances, decrying court orders limiting presidential power.
Trump isn’t the only authoritarian in government, and he won’t live forever. Sit with Vance’s coup-like advice for Trump back in 2021: “Fire every single midlevel bureaucrat, every civil servant…replace them with our people...when the courts stop you, stand before the country, and say—the chief justice has made his ruling. Now let him enforce it.”