Franklin P. answered • 10/26/23
AP United States Government and Politics Teacher
Has any US President-Elect ever failed to take office?
Easy softball answer: No
If this did happen, would the President-Elect ever technically be considered President?And what is the legal status of the President-Elect anyway? Does he/she have any legally binding power?
Great question! Short answer is No and below is here why:
To first answer this question we need to refer to the US Constitution!
20th Amendment Section 1: The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
Since the President Elect has yet to be inaugurated they were never technically President, therefore the President Elect has no official power.
The President Elect does work closely with a US Government Agency called the General Service Admin. In their own word "Since 1963, the U.S. General Services Administration has held a prominent role in the peaceful transition of authority between the incoming and outgoing Administrations in accordance with the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended. As transition-focused legislation has been amended to improve the presidential transition process, GSA’s role has grown and evolved. During a Presidential transition, GSA will prepare to provide support to the eligible candidates, President-elect and Vice-President-elect, Inter-agency Transition, Presidential Inauguration, and the outgoing President and Vice-President"
To further answer your questions! Who would become President in the President Elect died? 20th Amendment address that as well in Section 3: If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President.
