Regarding vice presidency: there was the occasion when VP Spiro Agnew resigned, and Gerald Ford was appointed under the terms of 25th Amendment, and then Richar

Regarding vice presidency: there was the occasion when VP Spiro Agnew resigned, and Gerald Ford was appointed under the terms of 25th Amendment, and then Richard Nixon resigned, and Ford became the President. So it's not always a dead end. And considering that Trump is a) hated by quite many and therefore a possible assassination target, and b) oldest president-elect so far, it's distinctly possible that Trump wouldn't serve whole term. On the other hand, Pence should act as an insurance for Trump against the more militant left: should they assassinate Trump, they'll get Pence as president... Well, the assassination doesn't sound that likely. Many speculated that Obama would be a target for the white supremacists and extreme right. We haven't seen any openly reported attempts.