Presidential succession

Presidential succession, system of selecting a new U.S. president when the incumbent dies in office, resigns, is removed from office, or is unable to discharge his duties. Under Article II of the Constitution, the vice president is next in line for the presidency and the 20th and 25th Amendments further ensure that the succession will continue through a vice president or vice president-elect. The Presidential Succession Act of 1886, amended in 1947, specifies that the Speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and the 14 members of the president's Cabinet follow the vice president in line to succeed the president.