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Trump COVID-19 Diagnosis Raises Issue of Continuity of Government

VOA News

   The new realities in Washington have once again pushed the issue of
   continuity of government to the forefront.
   The 25th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States details the
   process by which the president or vice president are replaced in the
   event they are unable to execute their duties.
   Reasons to replace the head of state or the vice president, who is the
   highest-ranking official in the presidential line of succession, are
   death, dismissal from office, resignation or incapacitation. Examples
   include the November 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F.
   Kennedy and the 1974 resignation of then-President Richard Nixon amid
   the Watergate scandal.
   Discussion of the 25th Amendment was renewed after the announcement
   early Friday that President Donald Trump had tested positive for
   COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. First lady Melania
   Trump has also tested positive for COVID-19.
   Trump is experiencing "mild symptoms" of the disease, the White House
   said Friday.
   Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, tested negative
   for the virus, a spokesman said Friday.

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