And the thing that could really throw off some people is the Constitutional clause which holds that if the President-elect dies or becomes incapacitated before the inauguration, the Presidency goes not to the President-elect's VP, but to the Presidential runner-up.
Even though this is clearly in the U.S. Constitution, you just know there'd be a media-generated "crisis" over it.
Even though this is clearly in the U.S. Constitution, you just know there'd be a media-generated "crisis" over it.
Huh?
Amendment XX
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. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.
The president is elected when the electoral college in each state meets. I don't know who the electors would vote for if the president elect were to die before the electoral college met. I suppose that is determined by state law.
In no way would the loser of the presidential election automatically become president if the president-elect died.