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What Happens if a US Presidential Candidate Exits the Race?

President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP)
President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP)
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What Happens if a US Presidential Candidate Exits the Race?

President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP)
President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP)

A US presidential nominee has never died or had to withdraw from a White House race this close to an election.

But President Donald Trump's hospitalization for coronavirus just a month from the November 3 vote has raised the question of what happens if such an event should occur.

Trump is 74 years old and while his opponent Joe Biden is reportedly in relatively good health at 77 and is the oldest Democratic nominee ever.

AFP takes a look at some of the potential scenarios in the event a nominee exits the race:

Delay the presidential election?
Unlikely. Congress set the date for the election and this one has already been scheduled, as per US law for the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Both the Republican-controlled Senate and the Democratic-majority House of Representatives would have to agree on a postponement.

"I don't see it happening," said Capri Cafaro, a former Democratic member of the Ohio state senate who teaches at American University. "It is unlikely a Democratic majority would want to postpone the election."

Even during the Civil War between the North and South, the 1864 election was held as scheduled with Abraham Lincoln winning another term.

Can a candidate be replaced?
Trump's Republican Party and Biden's Democratic Party both have rules outlining how to fill a vacancy on the presidential ticket should one occur.

In the case of Trump's GOP, the 168 members of the Republican National Committee could vote to select the replacement.

The RNC could also reconvene its national convention of more than 2,500 delegates to select a new candidate but time pressure probably makes this unworkable.

A simple majority would be all that is needed to choose a new candidate in either scenario.

In the case of the Democrats, a new presidential nominee would be selected by the nearly 450 members of the Democratic National Committee.

Can a replacement candidate be on the ballot?
Probably not. "The problem at this point is that we are so far along in this 2020 election that not only have people cast ballots, ballots have already been printed," Cafaro said.

"You really don't have enough time to reprint ballots which say Mike Pence or Kamala Harris," she said, referring to the Republican and Democratic vice presidential nominees respectively.

More than 3.1 million Americans have already cast their ballots, according to a tally kept by the US Elections Project at the University of Florida.

In addition, deadlines for ballot access vary from state to state and they have already passed in most cases.

What about the Electoral College?
While the United States holds a popular vote, the president is elected by an absolute majority of the 538 members of the Electoral College.

In every state but two (Nebraska and Maine), the candidate winning the majority of the popular vote in that state wins all that state's electors.

Nothing in the Constitution obliges electors to vote in one way or another but the Supreme Court ruled in July that states could fine so-called "faithless electors" who do not respect the popular vote.

The members of the Electoral College will gather in their respective states on December 14 and vote for president and vice president.

In the event a candidate dies or withdraws before the Electoral College casts its votes, things could get messy.

Individual state laws come into play but each party could theoretically direct its electors to vote for a replacement candidate.

On January 6, 2021, Congress will certify the results, with the winner being sworn in as president on January 20.

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Features

NATO Tests War Preparedness on Eastern Flank Facing Russia

France's Army personnel from the combat engineering corps maneuver a motorized floating bridge (PFM) across the Mures River during the "Dacian Fall" military exercise in Santimbru on November 3, 2025. (AFP)
France's Army personnel from the combat engineering corps maneuver a motorized floating bridge (PFM) across the Mures River during the "Dacian Fall" military exercise in Santimbru on November 3, 2025. (AFP)
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NATO Tests War Preparedness on Eastern Flank Facing Russia

France's Army personnel from the combat engineering corps maneuver a motorized floating bridge (PFM) across the Mures River during the "Dacian Fall" military exercise in Santimbru on November 3, 2025. (AFP)
France's Army personnel from the combat engineering corps maneuver a motorized floating bridge (PFM) across the Mures River during the "Dacian Fall" military exercise in Santimbru on November 3, 2025. (AFP)

On the Mures river in central Romania, French armored vehicles and Romanian trucks board a motorized floating bridge, part of a large military exercise to showcase NATO's ability to rapidly increase force levels on its eastern flank facing Russia.

The drill -- planned for months and seen as an "integration exercise" for NATO members -- comes after Washington last week said it would pull some troops out from the area.

Romania, which shares some 650 kilometers (400 miles) of border with Ukraine, has gained in strategic importance since Russia invaded its neighbor in 2022.

In the Dacian Fall exercise from October 20 to November 13, French-led troops from Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Spain are engaged in maneuvers and live-fire artillery and tank drills, together with Romanian soldiers.

Since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Paris has deployed nearly 1,500 soldiers in Romania and doubled them for the exercise. In case of a crisis, this can be increased to 5,000 troops.

"We must demonstrate our ability to integrate into a NATO division," said French General Maxime Do Tran, commander of the 7th Armored Brigade deployed for Dacian Fall.

The exercise, conducted across Romania, follows "NATO's real defense plans" and serves to signal the alliance's "strategic solidarity", he added.

While French army engineers skillfully dock the massive motorized barge on the banks of the Mures during one exercise, 200 meters (220 yards) away, Romanian engineers speedily put up a pontoon.

The French and Romanian teams will then switch roles.

"In Europe, there's a watercourse every 20 to 30 kilometers; crossing is a complex skill that had somewhat been lost," said Colonel Jerome Paris, head of the French engineering detachment.

About 60 kilometers to the north, amid sun-scorched grassy hills, Romanian General Dorin Toma, who commands NATO troops in Romania and Bulgaria, observes French engineers destroying obstacles identified by small quadcopter drones.

"It's an integration exercise," he said, adding that at the end of a two-year cycle to integrate forces "we're in a very good position".

The challenge is to maintain the level as "people are changing, weapons systems are changing".

"We need to keep the pace," he said.

On Washington's announcement that it would pull some troops out from NATO's eastern flank, General Toma said that from "a military standpoint, it changes nothing" given how the United States showed in 2022 that they were ready to deploy significant resources to the country at short notice.

Washington has denied its announcement amounted to a US withdrawal from Europe.

Romania's defense ministry said last week that 900-1,000 US soldiers would remain, down from the about 1,700 currently deployed.

Transporting equipment to Romania was a complex logistical operation that faced administrative hurdles.

For each country crossed, every license plate must be specified in documentation along with the names of personnel in the convoy, which has to be escorted by local police.

The French military prohibits, with some exceptions, the publication of surnames of its staff.

"Mobility corridors" with clearly identified routes and streamlined administrative procedures are a solution.

The Netherlands, Germany, and Poland are setting up one from North Sea ports to the Belarusian border.

"Harmonization is underway, but it takes time," Lieutenant Colonel Alexis said.

Features

Gaza’s Psychological Trauma Brings Large Numbers to Seek Help

Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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Gaza’s Psychological Trauma Brings Large Numbers to Seek Help

Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinian children watch a cartoon movie during an activity held by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, aimed at easing the psychological stress caused by the war, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Gaza residents are suffering "a volcano" of psychological trauma from Israel's devastating military campaign that has become clear since last month's truce, according to Palestinian mental health specialists.

Two years of intense Israeli bombardment and repeated military incursions that local health authorities say have killed more than 68,000 people, along with widespread homelessness and hunger, have affected all of Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants.

The crisis is evident in the large numbers now seeking treatment from the Gaza City Mental Health Hospital team, now working out of a nearby clinic because their building is damaged, said its head Abdallah al-Jamal.

"With the start of the truce, it was like a volcano erupting in patients seeking mental health services. Even the stigma that used to be present before, the fear of visiting a psychologist, does not exist anymore," he said, describing "a very large increase" in numbers from before the conflict.

Jamal and a colleague are working as best they can, but with the hospital having suffered significant damage their resources are limited and they have to share a room, depriving their patients of consultations in privacy.

"That is honestly insulting in the way services are provided, but we are trying as much as possible to find alternatives," he said of the more than 100 patients they see there every day.

Among children, there are widespread reports of night terrors, bed-wetting and other symptoms including an inability to focus, say mental health specialists for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

"Gazan children are now suffering from shortages of food, water, shelter, and clothing," said Nivine Abdelhadi, a specialist from the organization, which is offering activities for children that include games and stories.

The ceasefire came into effect on October 10, although there have been repeated outbreaks of violence since then. It brought a halt to major warfare in the conflict, which was triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed around 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies.

Features

A Rosy Life on Social Media Masks Gaza’s Bleak Reality

A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)
A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)
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A Rosy Life on Social Media Masks Gaza’s Bleak Reality

A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)
A Palestinian boy pushes a cart loaded with water containers in a displacement camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday (AP Photo)

Anyone scrolling through social media and seeing the posts of some Gaza residents, including activists, influencers, and shop owners, might think the enclave had not endured a devastating two-year war whose effects still weigh heavily on every aspect of life and worsen by the day.

Images showing a handful of shops reopening after partial repairs, shared by influencers and users on various platforms, have been picked up by some Israeli media outlets portraying Gaza as if it had turned into a paradise.

Yet destruction remains widespread, thousands of victims are still buried under the rubble, and more than 1.5 million people continue to live in tents and shelters, exposed to winter’s cold or the current heat, while sporadic violations persist and more than 200 Palestinians have been killed in the past two weeks alone.

No Oversight or Accountability

Mariam Hamdan, 31, from Gaza City’s al-Nasr neighborhood, said that since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, she has heard about goods entering the enclave, but has seen little improvement in daily life.

Hamdan said she is often shocked by what she sees online, videos painting life in Gaza as “comfortable,” while prices remain exorbitant.

“The goods that do come in are unaffordable. Shop owners and influencers advertising products sell them at prices only someone in Europe could afford,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We had hoped prices would return close to what they were before the war, or at least to levels seen during the first truce in January,” she said. “Instead, traders are waging their own war on us by draining our pockets with sky-high prices.”

Workers Without Options

Naaman al-Shanti, 53, an employee of the Palestinian Authority, said he has been unable to buy frozen chicken or meat for his family of nine since the ceasefire began. “We were all longing for it, but the prices are beyond reach,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

In fact, most Gazans cannot afford frozen goods even though some have reappeared in markets. A kilogram of frozen meat now costs at least 75 shekels (over $23) and sometimes as much as 120 shekels (over $36), compared with just 6 to 8 shekels ($1 to $2) before the war.

“We don’t know what to do anymore,” al-Shanti said angrily. “Life is unbearable. Then you see people posting videos as if we’re living in heaven, not in devastated, miserable Gaza, where most public employees can’t even feed their children.”

Hamas Under Fire

While Hamas-run authorities have largely remained silent, their teams have been seen in markets attempting to keep order. Activists, however, accuse the group of failing to take serious action to address the enclave’s worsening economic hardship, with some blaming it for corruption and a lack of effective governance.

In recent days, reports have emerged of aid theft, including flour, tents, and tarps, from shipments entering Gaza through the Philadelphi corridor along the coastal Rashid Street.

A prominent Gaza activist, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “During the war, the occupation and its collaborators exploited people by stealing aid and selling it on the black market.

Now that the war is over, we still see no serious effort to stop the exploitation of citizens’ daily needs. Goods like poultry and cooking gas are entering, but fairness in pricing and distribution is absent.”

He added: “People believed that once the fighting stopped, Hamas’s government would restore order, control prices, and curb exploitation. But the outcome is a big zero, as if we’re still at war.”

Hamas has often said its civil servants are targeted by Israel and face constant threats of assassination, a claim long echoed by field sources. But many residents and activists now dismiss that justification.

In a WhatsApp group of local journalists, one correspondent for a Palestinian TV channel wrote: “If those governing Gaza blamed the bombing and war for their failures, where are they now when it comes to easing citizens’ suffering and protecting them from this cruel exploitation? People who endured and sacrificed for a decision not of their own making are now being rewarded with greed and corruption.”

Another journalist added: “Everyone blames the Economy Ministry. What economy are they talking about, one that collects taxes but ignores citizens’ pain? The least that can be said about this behavior is that it betrays people’s sacrifices and resilience.”

Accusations of Taxing Traders

Accusations are also mounting that Hamas has resumed taxing traders.

Merchant Jamal Abd Rabbo told Asharq Al-Awsat that he buys frozen goods from major suppliers at steep prices and has to sell them slightly higher to make a small profit. He said top wholesalers told him the Hamas-run Economy Ministry imposes taxes on them, forcing prices up.

He added that high demand for poultry from restaurants and shawarma shops has further driven up prices.

The Hamas government has not publicly responded to the accusations.

However, government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that authorities are preparing measures to curb the crisis, including shutting down restaurants and shawarma stands from Sunday to reserve frozen goods for households and deploying security forces to protect aid convoys along their routes.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Petroleum Authority has been accused of mishandling gas distribution, with activists claiming some supplies were diverted to restaurants.

A source familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that certain station owners received extra allocations as compensation for transport costs, which they then sold on the black market.

Commenting on the situation, Gaza resident Rami Shahadeh said: “We thought the war ended to bring relief. Instead, it seems it ended so Hamas could resume collecting taxes. We lived an illusion, thinking things would get better, but our endurance has only made us hostages to those exploiting us.”