US President Donald Trump left Vice President J.D. Vance with detailed instructions in case he is forced to replace him as head of state before the end of his presidential term, Sebastian Gorka, senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council, told the New York Post.
“There is a letter in the Resolute Desk drawer addressed to the vice president in case something happens to him. Believe me, there are protocols for such an event. I can't discuss them, but they are there.“
The Resolute Desk is the historic oak desk in the Oval Office used by most American presidents. It is made from the timbers of the British research ship HMS Resolute and was a gift from Queen Victoria in 1880.
The American leader has been the target of three assassination attempts. The first two were in 2024, during his re-election campaign. In July, he was shot at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Two months later, another attacker was arrested with a gun at the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump was staying.
The third assassination attempt took place on April 25, 2026, at the Washington Hilton Hotel. in the capital, during the annual White House Correspondents' Association reception, attended by the entire senior US administration.