(Adnkronos) – American President Donald Trump keeps a letter addressed to Vice President Jd Vance in a drawer of the Resolute Desk, the historic Oval Office desk, to be used in case “something happens” to him. This was revealed by Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president and White House counter-terrorism official, during an interview on the Pod Force One podcast. Gorka did not provide details on the content of the document but explained that there are “protocols” in place to ensure institutional continuity in the event of the president’s death or incapacity. According to the American Constitution, the vice president is first in the line of presidential succession and would immediately assume the powers of the head of the White House.
The revelation comes at a time of particular attention to security measures around Trump, who has just returned from a three-day visit to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping. In recent years, the American president, who will turn 80 next month, has been the target of several assassination attempts, including one during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which he sustained an ear injury, and the latest one in late April at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. In recent days, discussions and speculations about possible security risks for the president and the issue of succession have also multiplied on US social media and podcasts.
The debate was also reignited by podcaster Joe Rogan, who, in his always provocative style, hypothesized possible threats linked to the economic interests of oil companies in the context of the crisis with Iran. Trump himself, in recent months, had stated that he had left “very precise instructions” in case he was assassinated by Iran, after receiving death threats. “If something happened, we would wipe them off the face of the Earth,” he recently stated, referring to Tehran. According to Gorka, this type of emergency planning also serves to send a message of deterrence to rival countries like China, Iran, and Russia.
