2003: Presidential Succession - Revision history

130.76.187.33: /* Transcript */ real people

2026-04-14T17:39:32Z

‎Transcript: real people

140.208.254.65: /* Order of succession */

2026-01-21T13:29:28Z

‎Order of succession

2605:B100:919:41D4:6C6F:9BFF:FECB:3C4: /* List of specific individuals */ real name

2025-12-19T08:07:09Z

‎List of specific individuals: real name

96.244.50.39: /* List of specific individuals */

2025-12-10T22:17:03Z

‎List of specific individuals

2601:280:5C00:2160:0:0:0:11EA: /* Explanation */ adding wikipedia link for "Designated survivor"

2025-11-20T22:14:27Z

‎Explanation: adding wikipedia link for "Designated survivor"

2605:B100:913:226F:BC04:1EFE:8AFA:713E: /* List of specific individuals */ Chestnut defeated Bertoletti in the 2025 contest

2025-10-08T23:13:51Z

‎List of specific individuals: Chestnut defeated Bertoletti in the 2025 contest

96.244.50.39: /* List of specific individuals */

2025-08-05T05:02:36Z

‎List of specific individuals

172.70.162.161: /* List of specific individuals */ ...also looks like the Wikipage has lost its need for disambiguation. (Haven't checked its change/rename history.)

2025-03-23T19:15:03Z

‎List of specific individuals: ...also looks like the Wikipage has lost its need for disambiguation. (Haven't checked its change/rename history.)

172.70.91.12: /* List of specific individuals */ Updated Sunni's post-'stranded in space' status. (Haven't heard of future missions planned. Having had the extended stay may mean that she's now 'done' the next mission she was unofficially lined up to do, even.)

2025-03-23T19:13:13Z

‎List of specific individuals: Updated Sunni's post-'stranded in space' status. (Haven't heard of future missions planned. Having had the extended stay may mean that she's now 'done' the next mission she was unofficially lined up to do, even.)

172.70.42.4: /* List of specific individuals */

2025-02-04T20:37:29Z

‎List of specific individuals

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:39, 14 April 2026
Line 384:		Line 384:

	[[Category:Politics]]		[[Category:Politics]]
		+	[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

@@ Line 272: / Line 272: @@
 #{{w|Josh Stein}} (Governor of North Carolina)
 #{{w|Gretchen Whitmer}} (Governor of Michigan)
-#{{w|Phil Murphy}} (Governor of New Jersey)<!--Mikie Sherrill will be sworn in on 20 Jan 2026-->
+#{{w|Mikie Sherrill}} (Governor of New Jersey)
-#{{w|Glenn Youngkin}} (Governor of Virginia)<!--Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in on 17 Jan 2026-->
+#{{w|Abigail Spanberger}} (Governor of Virginia)
 #{{w|Bob Ferguson (politician)|Bob Ferguson}} (Governor of Washington)
 #{{w|Katie Hobbs}} (Governor of Arizona)
@@ Line 317: / Line 317: @@
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 13 -->Stefani Germanotta AKA {{w|Lady Gaga}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2025, #1 artist)
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 13 -->{{w|Kendrick Lamar}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2025, #2 artist)
-#<!-- Randall's List Number: 14... -->{{w|Peggy Whitson}} (Astronaut, 695 days in space; no missions planned)
+#<!-- Randall's List Number: 14... -->{{w|Peggy Whitson}} (Astronaut, 695 days in space; active, no missions planned)
-#{{w|Sunita Williams}} (Astronaut, 608 days in space; active, no missions planned)
+#{{w|Sunita Williams}} (Astronaut, 608 days in space; retired)
 #{{w|Donald Petit}} (Astronaut, 590 days in space; active, no missions planned)
 #{{w|Jeffrey Williams}} (Astronaut, 534 days in space; retired)
 #*<!-- Randall's List Number: 15 -->''{{w|Serena Williams}} lost the final match of her career against {{w|Ajla Tomljanović}}, who is ineligible due to age and nationality.''
 #*<!-- Randall's List Number: 16 -->''The most recent MVPs of all listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office due to age and/or nationality.?''

@@ Line 315: / Line 315: @@
 #*<!-- Randall's List Number: 11 -->''No eligible living members for #11 on the list.''
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 12 -->{{w|Kate McKinnon}} (Kate McKinnon, subject to availability)
-#<!-- Randall's List Number: 13 -->{{w|Lady Gaga}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2025, #1 artist)
+#<!-- Randall's List Number: 13 -->Stefani Germanotta AKA {{w|Lady Gaga}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2025, #1 artist)
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 13 -->{{w|Kendrick Lamar}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2025, #2 artist)
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 14... -->{{w|Peggy Whitson}} (Astronaut, 695 days in space; no missions planned)
@@ Line 323: / Line 323: @@
 #{{w|Mark Vande Hei}} (Astronaut, 523 days in space; active, no missions planned)
 #*<!-- Randall's List Number: 15 -->''{{w|Serena Williams}} lost the final match of her career against {{w|Ajla Tomljanović}}, who is ineligible due to age and nationality.''
-#*<!-- Randall's List Number: 16 -->''The most recent MVPs of all listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office due to age and/or nationality.''
+#*<!-- Randall's List Number: 16 -->''The most recent MVPs of all listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office due to age and/or nationality.?''
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 17 -->{{w|Bill Pullman}} (Bill Pullman)
 #Maesa Pullman (born 1988, first descendant of Bill Pullman via absolute primogeniture)

@@ Line 272: / Line 272: @@
 #{{w|Josh Stein}} (Governor of North Carolina)
 #{{w|Gretchen Whitmer}} (Governor of Michigan)
-#{{w|Phil Murphy}} (Governor of New Jersey)
+#{{w|Phil Murphy}} (Governor of New Jersey)<!--Mikie Sherrill will be sworn in on 20 Jan 2026-->
-#{{w|Glenn Youngkin}} (Governor of Virginia)
+#{{w|Glenn Youngkin}} (Governor of Virginia)<!--Abigail Spanberger will be sworn in on 17 Jan 2026-->
 #{{w|Bob Ferguson (politician)|Bob Ferguson}} (Governor of Washington)
 #{{w|Katie Hobbs}} (Governor of Arizona)
@@ Line 315: / Line 315: @@
 #*<!-- Randall's List Number: 11 -->''No eligible living members for #11 on the list.''
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 12 -->{{w|Kate McKinnon}} (Kate McKinnon, subject to availability)
-#<!-- Randall's List Number: 13 -->{{w|Kendrick Lamar}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2024, #6 artist)<!-- Do not add Hozier after he turns 35 on March 17 2025, as he is Irish. -->
+#<!-- Randall's List Number: 13 -->{{w|Lady Gaga}} (Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2025, #1 artist)
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 14... -->{{w|Peggy Whitson}} (Astronaut, 695 days in space; no missions planned)
 #{{w|Sunita Williams}} (Astronaut, 608 days in space; active, no missions planned)

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 There are also practical concerns regarding the Act. The line of succession includes all members of the Cabinet in the order that their department was established, with the oldest departments first. No consideration is given to which departments would be most relevant to the Presidency, particularly considering that this type of succession would presumably involve a serious crisis, which the new president would need to be able to address immediately. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of the security and protection of the United States and its citizens and would probably already be privy to sensitive intelligence and briefings related to national security, but because it is the latest of the Departments to have been established (in 2003), the Secretary of Homeland Security is last in the current Presidential line of succession, behind Secretaries in much less sensitive roles, such as those of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Education. Another concern is that, by including members of Congress immediately after the Vice President, there is a serious risk that the simultaneous death of the President and Vice President could cause the Presidency to change to the opposing party, which could lead to serious political instability at the precise moment when the country is facing a national crisis. It even presents the possibility that simultaneous assassinations of the President and Vice President could function as an effective coup, shifting power to their opponents.
-Finally, there is the issue that, usually, everyone in the line of succession lives and works in Washington D.C. Hence, a sufficiently destructive attack or natural disaster impacting the city could realistically incapacitate all of them, leaving the USA leaderless at a time of extreme crisis. It is already established practice in the USA that everyone in this line not gather together at once. In cases where most senior government officials gather (such as the {{w| State of the Union}}), at least one member of the line of succession (referred to as the "designated survivor") is secured off-site, and would assume the presidency in the unlikely event that a {{w| mass casualty event}} were to kill or incapacitate everyone else in the line. However, disasters impacting an entire city remain a possibility, and no provision is made for them in current law.
+Finally, there is the issue that, usually, everyone in the line of succession lives and works in Washington D.C. Hence, a sufficiently destructive attack or natural disaster impacting the city could realistically incapacitate all of them, leaving the USA leaderless at a time of extreme crisis. It is already established practice in the USA that everyone in this line not gather together at once. In cases where most senior government officials gather (such as the {{w| State of the Union}}), at least one member of the line of succession (referred to as the {{w|Designated survivor}}) is secured off-site, and would assume the presidency in the unlikely event that a {{w| mass casualty event}} were to kill or incapacitate everyone else in the line. However, disasters impacting an entire city remain a possibility, and no provision is made for them in current law.
 To correct these issues, a think tank known as the {{w| Continuity of Government Commission}} prepared a report recommending a new line of succession, which would not include members of Congress, would reorder the cabinet secretaries so that the most suitable roles would be the first successors, and would include people who do not live or work in Washington DC. The full text of their report can be found [https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf here]. A short, readable summary, including the report's recommended new line of succession, is [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission here].

@@ Line 250: / Line 250: @@
-Based on the comic's defined criteria for the order of succession, these are the specific individuals in that order, including only people who are otherwise eligible to be the President of United States (35 year old and natural born US citizens who lived in US for last 14 years) '''as of the current date'''. (Last updated on 5 January 2025<!-- Assuming the last editor did it correctly... -->)
+Based on the comic's defined criteria for the order of succession, these are the specific individuals in that order, including only people who are otherwise eligible to be the President of United States (35 year old and natural born US citizens who lived in US for last 14 years) '''as of the current date'''. (Last updated on 8 October 2025<!-- Assuming the last editor did it correctly... -->)
 <!-- For convenience, have inserted "Randall's List Number" comment, at the (start of the) appropriate mention(s), for easier future checking purposes. -->
 <!-- Use "#*" (on new line) for 'empty' entries (occupies a 'line', yet does not apply a list number while at the same time not resetting the list numbering). -->
@@ Line 351: / Line 351: @@
 #*<!-- End note of Randall's List Number: 18 -->''This only covers the first 345 people in line to the throne, including Catholics, who, if they did not convert, would be excluded, but not including illegitimate or adoptive issue. Also includes several who may be ineligible due to the Royal Marriages Act. This list is based on people who could plausibly be eligible - people 35 and older who were either born in the US or at least one of their parents was. They could still be excluded based on residence or current citizenship.''<!-- *Not* checked for accuracy (additions/removals) during editing of 29/Aug/2024. Particularly likely to need some attention, though. -->
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 19 -->{{w|Miki Sudo}} (Women’s champion of the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest; listed first due to being closer to Europa at birth) <!-- someone check results of July 4, 2025 for this and the next! -->
-#{{w|Patrick Bertoletti}} (Men's champion of the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest)
+#{{w|Joey Chestnut}} (Men's champion of the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest)
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 20 -->Everyone else (through jousting tournament elimination)<br/>''Assumes that the number of eligible US citizens does not exceed 536,870,912.''

@@ Line 258: / Line 258: @@
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 3 -->{{w|Marco Rubio}} ({{w|United States Secretary of State}})
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 4 -->{{w|Pete Hegseth}} ({{w|United States Secretary of Defense}})
-#<!-- Randall's List Number: 5 --> Kristi Noem ({{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security}})
+#<!-- Randall's List Number: 5 --> {{w|Kristi Noem}} ({{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security}})
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 6 -->{{w|Pam Bondi}} ({{w|United States Attorney General}})
-#*<!-- Randall's List Number: 7 -->''Donald Trump<!-- Will change, Jan 2029 --> has not appointed anyone in accordance with item #7 on Randall's line of succession.''
+#*<!-- Randall's List Number: 7 -->''Donald Trump has not appointed anyone in accordance with item #7 on Randall's line of succession.''
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 8 -->{{w|Tom Hanks}} (Tom Hanks)
 #<!-- Randall's List Number: 9... -->{{w|Gavin Newsom}} (Governor of California)
@@ Line 306: / Line 306: @@
 #{{w|Dan McKee}} (Governor of Rhode Island)
 #{{w|Greg Gianforte}} (Governor of Montana)
-#{{w|Matt Meyer|John Carney}} (Governor of Delaware)
+#{{w|Matt Meyer}} (Governor of Delaware)
-#{{w|Kristi Noem}} (Governor of South Dakota)
+#{{w|Larry Rhoden}} (Governor of South Dakota)
 #{{w|Kelly Armstrong}} (Governor of North Dakota)
 #{{w|Mike Dunleavy (politician)|Mike Dunleavy}} (Governor of Alaska)