Trump Left Succession Letter for V.P. in Resolute Desk, Aide Says

Senior White House counterterrorism official Sebastian Gorka said on the "Pod Force One" podcast that a letter addressed to Vice President J.D. Vance is stored in the Resolute Desk should something happen to the president.

The disclosure came as President Trump was traveling to China for a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping, prompting questions about presidential security abroad.

A White House spokesperson did not confirm the letters contents and directed reporters to a prior on-camera interview in which Mr. Trump referenced having very firm instructions, according to officials.

An attempted assassination on April 25 left a suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, charged with attempting to assassinate the president; under the Constitution the vice president is first in line to succeed the president.

Gorka said there are undisclosed protocols and framed the letters existence as a deterrent, while Mr. Trump told NewsNation in January he had very firm instructions should the Iranian regime kill him.