Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, hope to use Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate to bolster their respective running mates’ chances in November. Facing a yawning favorability gap with Walz, Vance is readying via both traditional mock debates — with Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., standing in for Walz — and the constant back-and-forth Vance keeps up with reporters on the trail.
But as vice president, Vance would have to be ready for one main task: assuming the presidency. It is a duty that nine vice presidents before him have had to fulfill. It is also a possibility we need to discuss given that if Donald Trump returns to the White House, he would be the oldest person ever sworn in as president. Unfortunately, Vance is in no way ready to step in should Trump be no longer able to function as president.
It’s true that the vice presidency itself was originally something of an afterthought for the country’s founders. They tasked the vice president with presiding over the Senate only to give the role something concrete to do besides be a backup executive. But Article II, which supposedly lays out what happens if a vacancy occurs in the presidency, isn’t crystal clear: It says only “In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President.”
