Handing Off the Football
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Excerpted from CNN: "The "football," which contains the equipment that Trump would use to authenticate his orders and launch a nuclear strike, is carried by a military aide who accompanies the President at all times -- up to the second he officially leaves office on January 20.
Typically, the football would be handed off to another military aide standing on or nearby the inauguration viewing stand as Biden takes his oath of office.
But on Wednesday, that exchange will happen a bit differently as Trump is currently expected to depart Washington, DC, for Florida before Biden's inauguration ceremony.
The nuclear football will likely travel with him, experts say, meaning there will be at least two briefcases in different locations, presenting a unique challenge of ensuring the transfer of authority goes smoothly.
While that process may play out slightly differently than it has in years past, there are safeguards in place to ensure a seamless transition of nuclear control from one president to the next, regardless of circumstance, according to Stephen Schwartz, a nonresident senior fellow at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Contrary to popular belief, the nuclear football does not contain a button or codes that can automatically launch a nuclear weapon but instead has the equipment and authorities that Trump would use to order a strike.
"There are at least three to four identical 'footballs': one follows the president, one follows the vice president, and one traditionally is set aside for the designated survivor at events like inaugurations and State of the Union addresses," according to Schwartz.
More: https://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_9460332380b12986dd7c685f988dc6b6
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The last time a president skipped the inauguration ceremonies was when Grant was inaugurated. Back then there was only one nuclear football and they had to send it by pony express from Tennessee to Washington.
There was much concern that the Habsburg Empire would launch a first strike and we’d be helpless for a couple of days.
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@mik said in Handing Off the Football:
Jon has finally gone over the edge, sinking into hallucinations. I feared this would happen.
Look, one can only play so many computer games with the progeny and chase the wife around the house only so many times, until quarantine fatigue sets in.
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Don’t worry. @jon-nyc grounds himself with math and logic puzzles.
But, hmm, he hasn’t posted one for a while, so maybe you are right to start worrying.
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I’ve been wondering about other aspects of the transition.
Trump is leaving before the inauguration. Will he be flying on Air Force One? He’s still President when they take off...
Let’s say something happens at the inauguration like a dirty bomb. Biden hasn’t taken the oath yet and both he and Harris are killed. Does Trump remain President on the immediate basis or does Pelosi get sworn in at the appointed time?
If something happens to Trump before the swearing in do they swear in Pence for a few hours or do they have Biden step in immediately?
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The office leaves him at noon. Pelosi would get the nod at that point.
Regarding swearing in of Pence it’s a good question. Or rephrasing it, at what point would they decide not to bother? There was a several hour delay from JFK being declared dead to LBJ’s swearing in on the plane back to DC.
But they would go a day or two? I doubt it. What’s the limit? Might depend on what Pence wanted to do, no doubt in consultation with Pelosi and Roberts.
Re Airforce One, it’s a call sign that follows the President, not the equipment. He could take off in AF1 and it would cease being AF1 at noon even if it was still in the air.
