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What Happens if the President is too Sick to Do His Job?
What you need to know about the 25th Amendment, presidential succession, and incapacity
Even though whoever is serving as President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world during their term in office, and despite having to possess a pathological god-complex to even want that job, presidents are not immortal.
Statistically, they are a frail bunch. Eight presidents have died in office, one resigned, and at least six have become incapacitated for some period of time while serving. This means 33% of our presidents have been at least temporarily out of commission while serving as the leader of the free world.
Presidents have been shot, suffered strokes, undergone surgery, and contracted life-threatening diseases.
George Washington was the first president to be rendered incapacitated while in office. And while it would have caused a great deal of chaos if General George had died or failed to recover his faculties, things are even dicier in the 21st century with our instant information networks and nuclear weapons.
