- Donald Trump is currently the Republican frontrunner heading into the 2024 election.
- He is 77 years old and will turn 78 in June.
- If Trump dies while running for reelection, a few different things could happen.
Former President Donald Trump is far and away the Republican frontrunner heading into the 2024 election.
He is 77 years old and will be 78 in June.
If Trump dies while seeking reelection, a few different things could happen, depending on when he dies and how close it is to Election Day.
There's no national deadline to file to run for president of the United States. Instead, filing deadlines vary depending on the state and party.
There are currently eight declared candidates, including Trump, on the GOP side. If Trump were to die before January 1, 2024, there would likely be other Republicans who want to jump into the race.
Many states' filing deadlines have already passed, however, meaning that state election officials would need to adjust them to allow new candidates to enter the race.
If Trump died during primary season — which ends in mid-June — some states may postpone their scheduled primaries.
There's some precedent for this; at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a dozen states postponed their primaries or expanded vote-by-mail options.
If Trump died after the last primary contest but before the Republican National Convention, the other GOP presidential candidates would have to make a case to every state delegation at the convention for why they should be the party's nominee.
And if Trump secured the GOP nomination but died between the convention and Election Day 2024, the RNC would convene to select another presidential candidate.