Order of Presidential Succession

Who becomes President if Trump dies, resigns, is impeached, or is otherwise removed from office?


Donald Trump
45th President of the United States
assumed office: Jan. 20, 2017
Office Office Holder
(as of Aug. 28, 2019)
1. Vice President
Mike Pence, JD
elected official
assumed office: Jan. 20, 2017
2. Speaker of the House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi
elected official
assumed office: Jan. 3, 2019
3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Chuck Grassley, MA
elected official
assumed office Jan. 3, 2019
4. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo, JD
appointed official
confirmed: Apr. 26, 2018
5. Secretary of the Treasury
Steven Mnuchin
appointed official
confirmed: Feb. 13, 2017
6. Secretary of Defense
Mark Esper, PhD
appointed official
confirmed: July 23, 2019
7. Attorney General
William Barr, JD
appointed official
confirmed: Feb. 14, 2019
8. Secretary of the Interior
David Bernhardt, JD
appointed official
confirmed: Apr. 11, 2019
9. Secretary of Agriculture
Sonny Perdue, DVM
appointed official
confirmed: Apr. 24, 2017
10. Secretary of Commerce
Wilbur Ross, MBA
appointed official
confirmed: Feb. 27, 2017
11. Secretary of Labor
Eugene Scalia
appointed official
confirmed: Sep. 26, 2019
12. Secretary of Health and
Human Services
Alex M. Azar, II, JD
appointed official
confirmed: Jan. 24, 2018
13. Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development
Ben Carson, MD
appointed official
confirmed: Mar. 2, 2017
14. Secretary of Transportation
Elaine Chao, MBA
appointed official
confirmed: Jan. 31, 2017
The Secretary of Transportation is
usually fourteenth in line for the
presidency, but Elaine Chao
is not eligible to be President
because she is a naturalized US
citizen rather than a US-born citizen.
15. Secretary of Energy
Dan Brouillette
appointed official
confirmed: Dec. 2, 2019
16. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos
appointed official
confirmed: Jan. 1, 2017
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Robert Wilkie, JD, LLM, MS
appointed official
confirmed: July 23, 2018
18. Secretary of Homeland Security
Chad Wolf 
(acting)*
appointed official
confirmed as Under Secretary of Homeland Security
for Strategy, Policy and Plans: Nov. 13, 2019 


*Acting administration officials may be in the line of succession as long as they have been confirmed by the Senate for a position.




Sources:

Libby Cathey, "Senate Advances Nomination of Dan Brouillette to Replace Energy Secretary Rick Perry," abcnews.go.com, Nov. 21, 2019

Lance Cheung, Official Photo of Sonny Perdue, wikipedia.org, Aug. 6, 2017

Helene Cooper, "Mark Esper Confirmed as Trump's Defense Secretary," nytimes.com, July 23, 2019

Shealah Craighead, Official White House Photo of Donald Trump, wikipedia.org, Oct. 6, 2017

D. Myles Cullen, Official White House Photo of Mike Pence, wikipedia.org, Oct. 24, 2017

John Fortier, "President Michael Armacost?: The Continuity of Government after September 11,” brookings.edu, Sep. 1, 2003

Lisa Friedman, "Senate Confirms Dan Brouillette to Lead Energy Department," nytimes.com, Dec. 3, 2019 

Alex Gangitano, "Senate Confirms Trump Labor Secretary Pick Scalia," thehill.com, Sep. 26, 2019

Michelle Hackman, "Chad Wolf Takes over as Acting DHS Secretary," wsj.com, Nov. 13, 2019

Tami Heilemann, Official Photo of David L. Bernhardt, wikipedia.org, Apr. 11, 2019

Monica King, Official Photo of Dr. Mark T. Esper, wikipedia.org, June 20, 2019

Ryan Lovelace, "Washington Wrap: Keeping up with the Scalias," law.com, July 19, 2019

Gene Russell, Official Photo of Robert Wilkie, wikipedia.org, July 30, 2018

US Congress, "PN1371 - Alex Michael Azar II - Department of Health and Human Services,” congress.gov (accessed June 4, 2019)

US Congress, "PN1395 - Patrick Pizzella - Department of Labor," congress.gov, Apr. 12, 2018

US Congress, "PN26 - Steven T. Mnuchin - Department of the Treasury,” congress.gov (accessed June 4, 2019)

US Congress, "PN 37 - Elisabeth Prince DeVos - Department of Education,” congress.gov (accessed June 4, 2019)

US Congress, "PN811 - Mark T. Esper - Department of Defense," congress.gov, Nov. 15, 2017

US Customs and Border Protection, Official Photo of Kevin McAleenan, wikipedia.org, Jan. 20, 2017

US Department of Commerce, Official Photo of Wilbur Ross, wikipedia.org, Mar. 1, 2017

US Department of Defense, Official Photo of Patrick M. Shanahan, wikipedia.org, Dec. 31, 2018

US Department of Education, Official Photo of Betsy DeVos, wikipedia.org, Apr. 10, 2017

US Department of Energy, Official Photo of Rick Perry, wikipedia.org, Mar. 30, 2017

US Department of Energy, "Dan Brouillette," energy.gov (accessed Nov. 2, 2019

US Department of Health and Human Services, Official Photo of Alex M. Azar, II, wikipedia.org, 2019

US Department of Homeland Security, "Chad Wolf as Chief of Staff of the Transportation Security Administration in 2017," Wikipedia.org, Dec. 31, 2016

US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Official Photo of Ben Carson, wikipedia.org, Apr. 20, 2017

US Department of Justice, Official Photo of William Barr, wikipedia.org, Feb. 14, 2019

US Department of Labor, Official Photo of Patrick Pizzella, wikipedia.org, Apr. 24, 2018

US Department of State, Official Photo of Mike Pompeo, wikipedia.org, June 26, 2018

US Department of Transportation, Official Photo of Elaine Chao, wikipedia.org, Mar. 1, 2019

US Department of the Treasury, Official Photo of Steven Mnuchin, wikipedia.org, May 8, 2018

US Congress, Official Photo of Chuck Grassley, wikipedia.org, Oct. 19, 2017

US House of Representatives, Official Photo of Nancy Pelosi, wikipedia.org, Apr. 5, 2019

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 115th Congress - 1st Session,” senate.gov, Jan. 31, 2017

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 115th Congress - 1st Session,” senate.gov, Feb. 27, 2017

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 115th Congress - 1st Session,” senate.gov, Apr. 27, 2017

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 115th Congress - 1st Session,” senate.gov, July 18, 2017

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 115th Congress - 2nd Session,” senate.gov, Apr. 18, 2018

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 115th Congress - 2nd Session,” senate.gov, Apr. 26, 2018

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 115th Congress - 2nd Session,” senate.gov, July 23, 2018

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 116th Congress - 1st Session,” senate.gov, Feb. 14, 2019

US Senate, "Roll Call Vote 116th Congress - 1st Session,” senate.gov, Apr. 11, 2019