JD Vance has explained the plan for what will happen should a 'terrible tragedy' befall Donald Trump in the White House.
The much-memed deputy is Trump's vice president, meaning he's theoretically the second most important man in the US government, even if in practice the VP is often some way down the list when it comes to wielding actual power.
Since getting the job, Vance has insulted Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, been accused of killing the Pope, got pranked by Trump with his diet coke button and been generally unwelcome in Greenland.
According to the US vice president in a recent interview with USA Today, he 'can't think of better on the job training' than that, as he spoke about the possibility of something happening to Trump and him having to step up as replacement.
Advert
In the interview, Vance said that Trump was in 'incredibly good health' before saying 'things can always happen', which would mean there was a vacant seat in the Oval Office he'd be expected to fill.
Not to sound like Roy Keane here but that's his job.
Should something happen to Donald Trump while in office, then it's JD Vance who would take over since that's what being the vice president is all about in the US.
Several US presidents have died in office and had to have their VP take over for the rest of the term, while in the most recent case of this happening Gerald Ford took over from a still-breathing Richard Nixon after 'Tricky Dick' resigned in disgrace after the Watergate scandal.
Advert
It's pretty clear from the 25th Amendment, which was introduced after John F Kennedy was assassinated and the Americans figured they really needed some kind of formal plan for succession after he was the eighth president to die in office, that the VP takes over if the president is kaput.
Despite Vance's insistence that Trump was in good health, there have been a growing number of concerns over his condition.
Having turned 79 a couple of months ago, people keep noticing bruises on Trump's hands and his attempts to cover them with makeup.
While White House officials have said he's in good health, Trump was recently diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which is where the veins in the leg are damaged and no longer pump blood back up to the heart properly.
Advert
This results in swelling, which plenty of people noticed ahead of the diagnosis.
He is an old man whose love of the Big Macs means he hasn't exactly lived the healthiest lifestyle, and if he sees out the full extent of his second term he will be 82 by then.
Having a plan and someone ready to replace him is a conversation many of his supporters won't want to have, but it was already pretty much decided when he picked JD Vance to be his VP.
Topics: Donald Trump, JD Vance, US News, Politics, Health
Joe Harker