Sebastian Gorka reveals on ‘Pod Force One’ where Trump left orders to follow Vance in case of assassination
White House Chief of Staff Sebastian Gorka revealed in the “Pod Force One” interview that President Trump has left Vice President JD Vance with specific instructions in case he should replace him for a second term.
Gorka, who led the Trump administration’s counterterrorism strategy, told The Post’s Miranda Devine in a new episode Wednesday that he doesn’t care how the 47th president was targeted in an assassination attempt by a foreign enemy.
But the anti-terror chief noted that there are rules of succession that could be followed if China — or another bad actor — managed to “take him out.”
“There is a letter in the drawer of the Resolute Desk written to the vice president in case something happens to him,” said Gorka.
“We have principles, trust me. I can’t discuss them, but we have principles.”
Trump said in January that he had left “strong orders” for Iran to be “bombed” if America’s adversary made good on threats to kill him – but he did not mention any note to Vance in the Oval Office.
“I left a note,” the president told NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight” in response to Iran’s death threats, “[if] whatever happens, we will blow it up – the whole country will be blown up.”
Trump is headed to China to meet with President Xi Jinping this week to discuss trade relations with the US, the rise of artificial intelligence and concerns about Beijing’s expansion of its nuclear arsenal, among other issues.
Every week, Post writer Miranda Devine sits down for exclusive and candid interviews with Washington’s most influential disruptors on ‘Pod Force One.’ Register here!
Some Trump advisers and lawmakers also saw the summit as an opportunity for the president to ask for China’s help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war in Iran, although that was not expected to be the focus of the talks.
The president has managed so far in his second term to establish himself as an “existential threat to China,” Gorka noted, prompting some to express concern about Trump’s safety during the trip.
“He’s the only one standing between them and the world being ruled, so they have every reason in the world to get him out,” said a counter-terrorism official. “Now, they might not do it there, obviously, but as someone said to me, they can put something in the air that makes him sick 30 days later.”
But he quickly added, “I’m not at all worried that they’re doing something,” asserting that “the president, in my estimation, is very safe.”
“Everyone wants to be respected by this man,” Gorka continued. “This is the most powerful man we’ve seen since Eisenhower. This is the man everybody wants to have at the table, have a State dinner, to be honored.”
“The idea that you are doing something that lowers your recognition is the opposite of what they want to have,” he added.
Full Episode
Trump has survived multiple assassination attempts – two of which occurred while campaigning for the 2024 presidential election.
Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13 of that year but was shot dead by a Secret Service counter-sniper. Trump was hit in the right ear by one of his bullets.
Ryan Routh hid on the president’s golf course in Florida but couldn’t retreat to his nest before he was shot by agents on Trump’s security detail. He was later arrested, charged and sentenced to life in prison.
Trump called JD 10 minutes after the incident and told his partner, “JD, you’re not going to believe this, but they’re trying to do it again,” Vance later recalled.
The latest assassin, Cole Allen, attempted to open fire on the president inside the Washington Hilton on April 25 during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner – but was subdued by Secret Service agents before reaching the ballpark.
“The people who do the most, the people who have the most impact — they’re the ones who go after them,” Trump told reporters at a news conference after the assassination attempt.
Allen, 31, has been charged with four counts — including attempted assassination of the president and assault on a law enforcement officer — and pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth revealed that the Iranian official who plotted to assassinate Trump in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign was also killed during Operation Epic Fury in March.
