United States President Donald Trump keeps a secret letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance on the historic “Resolute Desk” in the Oval Office, which would only be used in the event that something were to happen to the president during his term.
The revelation was made by assistant to the president and deputy White House assistant, Sebastian Gorka, during an interview on the podcast Pod Force One.
“There is a letter in the ‘Resolute Desk’ drawer addressed to the vice president, in case something happens,” Gorka declared, without providing details on the content of the document.
The statement comes at a time when concerns about Trump’s security have grown after a failed assassination attempt just weeks ago near the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, an incident that has heightened the debate over political violence in the United States.
Gorka downplayed the possibility that foreign countries would target the US president during his international travels, including the important summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Everybody wants recognition from this man. This is the most powerful individual we’ve seen since Eisenhower,” he said, arguing that world leaders have an interest in maintaining relations with Trump, not undermining them.
“We have protocols, believe me. Not ones I can discuss publicly, but we have protocols,” Gorka added regarding the existence of the letter and the presidential emergency procedures.