Unfortunately the 20th amendment says otherwise.
The order of succession specifies that the office passes to the vice president; if the vice presidency is simultaneously vacant, or if the vice president is also incapacitated, the powers and duties of the presidency pass to the speaker of the House of Representatives, president pro tempore of the Senate, and then Cabinet secretaries, depending on eligibility.
No. | Office[3] | Incumbent | Party | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vice President | Kamala Harris | Democratic | |
2 | Speaker of the House of Representatives | Nancy Pelosi | Democratic | |
3 | President pro tempore of the Senate | Patrick Leahy | Democratic | |
4 | Secretary of State | Antony Blinken | Democratic | |
5 | Secretary of the Treasury | Janet Yellen | Democratic | |
6 | Secretary of Defense | Lloyd Austin | Unknown | |
7 | Attorney General | Merrick Garland | Unknown | |
8 | Secretary of the Interior | Deb Haaland | Democratic | |
9 | Secretary of Agriculture | Tom Vilsack | Democratic | |
10 | Secretary of Commerce | Gina Raimondo | Democratic | |
11 | Secretary of Labor | Marty Walsh | Democratic | |
12 | Secretary of Health and Human Services | Xavier Becerra | Democratic | |
13 | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Marcia Fudge | Democratic | |
14 | Secretary of Transportation | Pete Buttigieg | Democratic | |
–[A] | Secretary of Energy | Jennifer Granholm | Democratic | |
15 | Secretary of Education | Miguel Cardona | Democratic | |
16 | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Denis McDonough | Democratic | |
–[A] | Secretary of Homeland Security | Alejandro Mayorkas | Unknown |