<Ol> <Li> President of the United States ( Donald Trump ) </Li> <Li> Vice President of the United States ( Mike Pence ) </Li> <Li> Governor ( of the state or territory in which the event is held ) </Li> <Li> Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives ( Paul Ryan ) </Li> <Li> Chief Justice of the United States ( John Roberts ) </Li> <Li> Former Presidents or their widows / widowers ( ordered by term ) : <Ol> <Li> Jimmy Carter ( January 20 , 1977 -- January 20 , 1981 ) </Li> <Li> George H.W. Bush ( January 20 , 1989 -- January 20 , 1993 ) </Li> <Li> Bill Clinton ( January 20 , 1993 -- January 20 , 2001 ) </Li> <Li> George W. Bush ( January 20 , 2001 -- January 20 , 2009 ) </Li> <Li> Barack Obama ( January 20 , 2009 -- January 20 , 2017 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Former Vice Presidents or their widows / widowers ( ordered by term ; note that George H.W. Bush , who would otherwise appear in this list , already appears above as a former President ) : <Ol> <Li> Walter Mondale ( January 20 , 1977 -- January 20 , 1981 ) </Li> <Li> Dan Quayle ( January 20 , 1989 -- January 20 , 1993 ) </Li> <Li> Al Gore ( January 20 , 1993 -- January 20 , 2001 ) </Li> <Li> Dick Cheney ( January 20 , 2001 -- January 20 , 2009 ) </Li> <Li> Joe Biden ( January 20 , 2009 -- January 20 , 2017 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Ambassadors from the United States ( at the Ambassador 's post ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of State ( Rex Tillerson ) </Li> <Li> Ambassadors to the United States ( ordered by the presentation of their credentials ) </Li> <Li> Associate Justices of the Supreme Court ( ordered by appointment ) : <Ol> <Li> Anthony Kennedy ( February 18 , 1988 ) </Li> <Li> Clarence Thomas ( October 18 , 1991 ) </Li> <Li> Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( August 10 , 1993 ) </Li> <Li> Stephen Breyer ( August 3 , 1994 ) </Li> <Li> Samuel Alito ( January 31 , 2006 ) </Li> <Li> Sonia Sotomayor ( August 8 , 2009 ) </Li> <Li> Elena Kagan ( August 7 , 2010 ) </Li> <Li> Neil Gorsuch ( April 10 , 2017 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Retired Chief Justices of the United States ( ordered by appointment ; currently none ) </Li> <Li> Retired Associate Justices of the Supreme Court ( ordered by appointment ) : <Ol> <Li> John Paul Stevens ( December 19 , 1975 -- June 29 , 2010 ) </Li> <Li> Sandra Day O'Connor ( September 25 , 1981 -- January 31 , 2006 ) </Li> <Li> David Souter ( October 9 , 1990 -- June 29 , 2009 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Members of the Cabinet ( in the order of the creation of the respective departments ; note that the Secretary of State already appears above ; the creation date for the Secretary of War is used as the date for the Secretary of Defense 's position in the precedence . Cabinet - level appointees are ordered by presidential Cabinet precedence . ) : <Ol> <Li> Secretary of the Treasury ( Steven Mnuchin ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Defense ( James Mattis ) </Li> <Li> Attorney General ( Jeff Sessions ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of the Interior ( Ryan Zinke ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Agriculture ( Sonny Perdue ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Commerce ( Wilbur Ross ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Labor ( Alexander Acosta ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Health and Human Services ( Eric Hargan ) ( Acting ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ( Ben Carson ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Transportation ( Elaine Chao ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Energy ( Rick Perry ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Education ( Betsy DeVos ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Veterans Affairs ( David Shulkin ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Homeland Security ( Elaine Duke ) ( Acting ) </Li> <Li> White House Chief of Staff ( John F. Kelly ) </Li> <Li> Trade Representative ( Robert Lighthizer ) </Li> <Li> Director of National Intelligence ( Dan Coats ) </Li> <Li> Ambassador to the United Nations ( Nikki Haley ) </Li> <Li> Director of the Office of Management and Budget ( Mick Mulvaney ) </Li> <Li> Director of the Central Intelligence Agency ( Mike Pompeo ) </Li> <Li> Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency ( Scott Pruitt ) </Li> <Li> Administrator of the Small Business Administration ( Linda McMahon ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate ( Orrin
<Ol> <Li> President of the United States ( Donald Trump ) </Li> <Li> Vice President of the United States ( Mike Pence ) </Li> <Li> Governor ( of the state or territory in which the event is held ) </Li> <Li> Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives ( Paul Ryan ) </Li> <Li> Chief Justice of the United States ( John Roberts ) </Li> <Li> Former Presidents or their widows / widowers ( ordered by term ) : <Ol> <Li> Jimmy Carter ( January 20 , 1977 -- January 20 , 1981 ) </Li> <Li> George H.W. Bush ( January 20 , 1989 -- January 20 , 1993 ) </Li> <Li> Bill Clinton ( January 20 , 1993 -- January 20 , 2001 ) </Li> <Li> George W. Bush ( January 20 , 2001 -- January 20 , 2009 ) </Li> <Li> Barack Obama ( January 20 , 2009 -- January 20 , 2017 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Former Vice Presidents or their widows / widowers ( ordered by term ; note that George H.W. Bush , who would otherwise appear in this list , already appears above as a former President ) : <Ol> <Li> Walter Mondale ( January 20 , 1977 -- January 20 , 1981 ) </Li> <Li> Dan Quayle ( January 20 , 1989 -- January 20 , 1993 ) </Li> <Li> Al Gore ( January 20 , 1993 -- January 20 , 2001 ) </Li> <Li> Dick Cheney ( January 20 , 2001 -- January 20 , 2009 ) </Li> <Li> Joe Biden ( January 20 , 2009 -- January 20 , 2017 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Ambassadors from the United States ( at the Ambassador 's post ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of State ( Rex Tillerson ) </Li> <Li> Ambassadors to the United States ( ordered by the presentation of their credentials ) </Li> <Li> Associate Justices of the Supreme Court ( ordered by appointment ) : <Ol> <Li> Anthony Kennedy ( February 18 , 1988 ) </Li> <Li> Clarence Thomas ( October 18 , 1991 ) </Li> <Li> Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( August 10 , 1993 ) </Li> <Li> Stephen Breyer ( August 3 , 1994 ) </Li> <Li> Samuel Alito ( January 31 , 2006 ) </Li> <Li> Sonia Sotomayor ( August 8 , 2009 ) </Li> <Li> Elena Kagan ( August 7 , 2010 ) </Li> <Li> Neil Gorsuch ( April 10 , 2017 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Retired Chief Justices of the United States ( ordered by appointment ; currently none ) </Li> <Li> Retired Associate Justices of the Supreme Court ( ordered by appointment ) : <Ol> <Li> John Paul Stevens ( December 19 , 1975 -- June 29 , 2010 ) </Li> <Li> Sandra Day O'Connor ( September 25 , 1981 -- January 31 , 2006 ) </Li> <Li> David Souter ( October 9 , 1990 -- June 29 , 2009 ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> Members of the Cabinet ( in the order of the creation of the respective departments ; note that the Secretary of State already appears above ; the creation date for the Secretary of War is used as the date for the Secretary of Defense 's position in the precedence . Cabinet - level appointees are ordered by presidential Cabinet precedence . ) : <Ol> <Li> Secretary of the Treasury ( Steven Mnuchin ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Defense ( James Mattis ) </Li> <Li> Attorney General ( Jeff Sessions ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of the Interior ( Ryan Zinke ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Agriculture ( Sonny Perdue ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Commerce ( Wilbur Ross ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Labor ( Alexander Acosta ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Health and Human Services ( Eric Hargan ) ( Acting ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ( Ben Carson ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Transportation ( Elaine Chao ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Energy ( Rick Perry ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Education ( Betsy DeVos ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Veterans Affairs ( David Shulkin ) </Li> <Li> Secretary of Homeland Security ( Elaine Duke ) ( Acting ) </Li> <Li> White House Chief of Staff ( John F. Kelly ) </Li> <Li> Trade Representative ( Robert Lighthizer ) </Li> <Li> Director of National Intelligence ( Dan Coats ) </Li> <Li> Ambassador to the United Nations ( Nikki Haley ) </Li> <Li> Director of the Office of Management and Budget ( Mick Mulvaney ) </Li> <Li> Director of the Central Intelligence Agency ( Mike Pompeo ) </Li> <Li> Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency ( Scott Pruitt ) </Li> <Li> Administrator of the Small Business Administration ( Linda McMahon ) </Li> </Ol> </Li> <Li> President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate ( Orrin
who ranks higher secretary of state or chief of staff
who ranks higher secretary of state or chief of staff
Secretary of State
Secretary of State