Democrat Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) declined to rule out that the party is plotting to install House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as president after the 2026 midterms.
It comes amid rumors that the Democrats are hoping that Jeffries could ascend to the presidency and replace President Donald Trump if the party retakes the House in 2026.
Such a plot would rely on Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance being somehow removed from office.
The exchange occurred during DeSaulnier’s virtual “End of Year Town Hall” on Monday.
During the event, the California Democrat fielded questions about the party’s priorities and long-term ambitions.
Oriol relayed a viewer question:
“If enough Republicans resign before the midterms, and if the president is impeached, would the VP also be impeached?”
DeSaulnier responded by outlining the constitutional mechanics rather than dismissing the scenario outright.
“Those are separate actions,” he said.
“So if the president was impeached, the VP would replace him.
“So if everything you said took place, then if the VP was impeached, the speaker who, if we were in the majority, would be a Democrat, would become president of the United States.”
He added that the circumstances were unlikely but admitted “it’s possible.”
What It Would Actually Take
Under current U.S. law, presidential succession runs from the vice president to the speaker of the House, to the Senate president pro tempore, and then to cabinet secretaries in order of their department’s creation.
For Jeffries, or any House leader, to be installed as president in 2027, Democrats would need:
1) A House majority in 2026, allowing them to elect Jeffries as speaker.
2) The removal of both Trump and Vance, typically through impeachment and conviction.
3) A two-thirds Senate supermajority, which would be required for conviction.
Democrats have never secured a Senate conviction against Trump despite attempting it twice during his first term, and those attempts came when the political landscape was more favorable to them than it is now.
Jeffries Poised as Speaker Candidate
Jeffries is widely regarded as the Democrats’ presumptive choice for speaker if they reclaim the House, following midterm trends that historically favor opposition parties.
If Jeffries did not secure the gavel, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) or Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), the caucus’s number two and three, respectively, would be the most likely contenders.
DeSaulnier’s comments underscore a growing openness among some Democrats to discussing extreme succession scenarios.
It comes even as they acknowledge the practical hurdles remain extraordinarily high.
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