President Trump has left written instructions for Vice President J.D. Vance inside the Resolute Desk should he ever be killed in office, a senior White House official revealed Wednesday.
Dr. Sebastian Gorka, the administration’s senior director for counterterrorism, disclosed the letter’s existence during an appearance on the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, hosted by Miranda Devine. Dr. Gorka said the letter addresses what steps Mr. Vance should take if Mr. Trump were to be assassinated or otherwise incapacitated.
“There is a letter in the drawer in the Resolute Desk that is addressed to the vice president should something happen to him,” Dr. Gorka said. “We have protocols, trust me. Not ones I can discuss, but we have protocols.”
The disclosure came as Mr. Trump was traveling to China for a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping. Podcast host Devine raised concerns about the possibility of foreign adversaries attempting to harm the president during the trip, including through covert means. Dr. Gorka dismissed those fears, arguing that world leaders are too eager for recognition from Mr. Trump to risk undermining their standing with him.
“Everybody wants recognition from this man. This is the most powerful individual we have seen since the likes of Eisenhower,” Dr. Gorka said. “The idea that you do something that undermines your recognition goes against what they wish to have.”
Newsweek reported that the contents of the letter remain unknown, though Dr. Gorka framed its existence as a deterrent — a signal to rival nations that a clear succession plan is already in place.
A White House spokesperson did not confirm the letter’s contents but directed reporters to a prior on-camera interview in which Mr. Trump referenced the document while seated behind the Resolute Desk. Mr. Trump told NewsNation in January that he has “very firm instructions” in place should the Iranian regime succeed in killing him.
The revelation comes weeks after an attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, when Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, opened fire near the security screening area outside the Washington Hilton. Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president, and has pleaded not guilty. The incident was the third apparent attempt on Mr. Trump’s life since 2024.
Under the Constitution, Mr. Vance is first in line to the presidency. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 establishes the order beyond the vice president, placing the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore ahead of eligible Cabinet officials.
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