With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, it made me wonder, what kind of succession plan does America have beyond the Speaker of the House?  So I did some research, and this is what I came up with:

1. Vice President, Kamala Harris

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Vice President, Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris

2. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi

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Speaker of the House

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

3. President pro tempore of the Senate, Patrick Leahy

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President pro tempore of the Senate

President Pro tempore, Patrick Leahy

4. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken

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Secretary of State

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State, Antony Blinken
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5. Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen

6. Secretary of Defense. Lloyd Austin

7. Attorney General, Merrick Garland

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Attorney General

Attorney General, Merrick Garland

8.  Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland

9.  Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack

10.  Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo

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Secretary of Commerce

Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo

11. Secretary of Labor, Marty Walsh

12.  Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra

13.  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Marcia Fudge

14.  Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg

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Secretary of Transportation

Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg

15.  Secretary of  Energy, Jennifer Granholm

16.  Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough

17.  Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas

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Secretary of Homeland Security

Secretary of Homeland security, Alejandro Mayhorkas

 

The whole process of a successor is a lot like replacing the captain on Star Trek, he doesn't necessarily have to die.  If they're alive, the president can also be replaced if they're incapacitated, they resign, or is unable to hold the office for any reason.  They'd have to use the 25th Amendment to remove a president that others felt was unfit for office, and it would have to have to be declared by the Vice President and a significant number of the cabinet or congress.

In the case of Designated Survivor, both the house and senate, and usually a member of the president's cabinet, and chosen by the president, will designate one member to sit out an event in the case of some kind of mass-casualty event.

 

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