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If the two die at the same time, the Speaker of the House of Representatives takes over the duties of the Presidency. If the President dies and the Vice President assumes the Presidency, he or she will choose someone to fill the position of Vice President, subject to majority approval by both Houses of the U.S. Congress. If the Vice President (who is now the President) would die before a new Vice President is approved, again, the Speaker of the House of Representatives would assume the duties.

Two ways to remember this are:

1. Since the Vice President is the President of the U.S. Senate (the President pro tempore of the Senate is a different position), next in the line of succession is the leader of the other Congressional House, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

2. Even though the President is ultimately selected by vote of the Electoral College, the electors are chosen through popular vote. The U.S. House of Representatives is structured to represent parts of the nation by population (the Senate structure grants each state two representatives, or Senators, regardless of population). So, the leader of the House that best represents the population and the population's wishes is the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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7y ago

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