If the President is unable to serve, who becomes President?

• A. the Vice President
• B. the Speaker of the House
• C. the Chief Justice
• D. the Secretary of State

Answer: (A)

The Vice President is the person who becomes President when the current President is unable to carry out the duties of the office. This is set up in the Constitution and clarified by the 25th Amendment, which establishes the order of succession to ensure the government can continue to function smoothly. So if the President can no longer serve, the Vice President steps in immediately to lead.

Context helps: the rest of the line of succession goes beyond the Vice President—the Speaker of the House would come next only after both the President and Vice President are unable to serve, and the Chief Justice and the Cabinet secretaries follow further down the line. But the immediate successor in any situation is the Vice President.