“We the unwilling, led by the unqualified, doing the impossible for the ungrateful”
— GI helmet graffiti, Vietnam War
Day: July 11, 2026
President Trump says the United States will “decimate” Iran if the regime attempts to assassinate him. This comes after a tense week between the U.S. and Iran, and ongoing disagreements over the handling of the Strait of Hormuz. Olivia Rinaldi reports.
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(ASSOCIATD PRESS) — President Donald Trump is suggesting he has left standing orders for the U.S. military to destroy Iran “ at levels they’ve never seen before ” if Tehran follows through on its long-standing threats to kill him.
But the U.S. government has no way to create an automatic, preauthorized “dead man’s switch” that would prompt immediate retaliation.
Instead, if Trump were killed, the transfer of power to his successor is governed by the 25th Amendment and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. Vice President JD Vance instantaneously would become commander in chief and have authority for any retaliation.
Under such a scenario, Vance could do exactly what Trump called for, though there also is a chance he could decide not to follow his predecessor’s orders — or offer a direct response in a different way.
“The U.S. has, for a whole variety of reasons, never utilized a technical ‘dead man’s switch,’” said Garrett M. Graff, author of “Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die.”
The United States does have extensive contingency plans for continuity of government in the event of a nuclear attack or other major catastrophe that wipes out most or all of Washington. But those plans also do not allow for immediately launching retaliatory strikes upon the death of a president, even if that president had demanded that the military be ready to do so.
Vindicte de LFI comme d’hab. Mais vous avez raison LFI c’est l’extrême droite finalement.Michaël Delafosse – Maire de Montpellier (@MDelafosse)L’artiste Barbara Butch a été victime de la haine de l’extrême droite. Plein soutien à elle, comme à l’ensemble des artistes.
C’est notre devoir de défendre celles et ceux qui créent, dont la liberté d’expression et de création est précieuse.
Aucune politique culturelle ne peut tolérer que soient lancés des appels à la vindicte contre des artistes. Défendre la liberté des artistes, c’est défendre un principe fondamental de notre démocratie.— https://x.com/MDelafosse/status/2076023265869398413
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