And then Pence got into a serious car accident, after which he is declared dead. And then Pelosi becomes president. But she shoots someone on 5th Avenue, and then it turns out it was self-defense, and that the person was Trump in disguise. But the bullets were supposed to be blanks, because Trump and Pelosi had set the whole thing up, but Pence wasn’t really dead: they had resuscitated him, but the hospital staff and family kept it a secret, and Pence was the one who secretly switched the blanks to real bullets?
What’s supposed to happen then? What does the Constitution say?
One of the little known features of this board is that participation, in whole or in part, is voluntary. Nobody is required to read the threads on topics they aren’t personally interested in.
Now to address the questions the OP raised. One key issue is the outcome of Trump’s shooting: Is he alive or dead? If alive, is he incapacitated? If he’s alive and as capable as he normally is, then he’s still the President and the rest of this is moot as far as succession goes.
The second issue is the off-hand reference to Pelosi acting in self-defense. What were the circumstances? Was Trump threatening her? If so, he might be liable to impeachment if he survived the shooting - although Pelosi would probably have to recuse herself. If Trump’s dead, was Pelosi’s claim of self-defense held up in court? If not, she’ll be the one getting arrested. In either case, under an argument I’ve made before, I feel that somebody being held in custody qualifies as being unable to carry out the duties of being President and would be removed under the 25th Amendment.
The OP raises an interesting issue regarding Pence. Did his Vice Presidency automatically end when he was declared dead? Or was it just suspended and he resumed it when he was revived?
The statement that Pence’s involvement in the bullet switch is a secret avoids the issue of his criminal liability.
I don’t think it’s very unlikely. After all, the virus was supposed to just disappear also, and that’s a thing that’s definitely happened, so this will probably happen, too.
Based on the scenario set out by the OP the answer is obvious. The presidency would revert to John F. Kennedy, who actually survived the attempt on his life and has been living at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport for the last 57 years.
If I follow the scenario correctly, Trump is declared dead. The presidency goes to Pence. Pence is declared dead. The presidency goes to Pelosi. If the other two suddenly show up alive, I think that Pelosi is still president. Once she is legally recognized as president, I don’t think it can magically be undone.
As far as crimes committed, Pelosi can’t commit a crime - she’s the president! It’s up to Congress to decide whether or not to impeach her. Pence can be managed through the normal criminal process.