What happens if this election is not decided by 20 January? 20 February? 20 March?
Yes. That is possible. There's a mechanism in the Constitution to deal with that.
Do you think Trump has factored that in to his contingency planning?
Yes. That is possible. There's a mechanism in the Constitution to deal with that.
Do you think Trump has factored that in to his contingency planning?
Section 3 of the 20th Amendment specifies that if the House of Representatives has not chosen a president-elect in time for the inauguration (noon on January 20), then the vice president-elect becomes acting president until the House selects a president.
It also specifies Congress may statutorily provide for who will be acting president if there is neither a president-elect nor a vice president-elect in time for the inauguration. Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the Speaker of the House would become acting president
End/ the Speaker of the House would become acting president until either the House selects a president or the Senate selects a vice president. None of these situations has ever occurred.