No President for 5 minutes?

[Hatman 🍁]

Obama wasn't sworn in until ~12:05pm, does that mean the US was without a President for five minutes?

[Franzl]

the Constitution states that he becomes President at noon, regardless of whether he has taken the oath.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

the Constitution states that he becomes President at noon, regarless of whether he has taken the oath.

Correct.

[Linus Van Pelt]

clearly you were not watching on CNN which put up an annoying sidebar with "FACT: Barack Obama is now president even though he had not said the oath of office" immediately at noon.

[Hatman 🍁]

No, I wasn't watching CNN. It's not included in our temporary cable package. I was watching CBC Newsworld.

[Tender Branson]

clearly you were not watching on CNN which put up an annoying sidebar with "FACT: Barack Obama is now president even though he had not said the oath of office" immediately at noon.

And Wolf Blitzer had to give his Senf dazu as well ...

[JSojourner]

the Constitution states that he becomes President at noon, regardless of whether he has taken the oath.

Right.  Which makes the conspiracy loons suggesting to Fox News that the inauguration was illegal look all the more foolish. 

[Linus Van Pelt]

clearly you were not watching on CNN which put up an annoying sidebar with "FACT: Barack Obama is now president even though he had not said the oath of office" immediately at noon.

And Wolf Blitzer had to give his Senf dazu as well ...

Well, that would have added to the pain. Mothership CNN luckily (though inadvertently, I'm sure, given CNN's love for CNN) had their own crew a bit softer than the actual ceremony, so I was able to turn the volume to a level where the big Wolf was effectvely on mute but the real deal actually came through.

[Middle-aged Europe]

And Robert Gates indeed served as "designated survivor" during the inauguration. A logical move since he was part of the line of succession before and after 12:00.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/19/defense-secretary-gates-to-be-designated-successor-tuesday/

(Write a scenario where everybody at the inauguration is assassinated and Gates becomes president.)

[Verily]

And Robert Gates indeed served as "designated survivor" during the inauguration. A logical move since he was part of the line of succession before and after 12:00.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/19/defense-secretary-gates-to-be-designated-successor-tuesday/

(Write a scenario where everybody at the inauguration is assassinated and Gates becomes president.)

Conveniently, there was a continuous member of the line of succession in the Clinton and Bush cabinets, too, and he was the designate then (Norman Mineta, Secretary of Commerce under Clinton and Transportation under Bush). Don't know how they decide when there isn't continuity.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Don't know how they decide when there isn't continuity.

President pro tem? Ugh.

[Eraserhead]

Get rid of the oath. It serves no real purpose.

[Keystone Phil]

ABC was reporting how there is a lot of debate about this actually which is odd if the Constitution clearly states that he becomes President at noon regardless.

The debate is apparently between whether he's actually the President or if the newly sworn in Vice President is "Acting President."