US Edition
From Cabinet secretary to doomsday president: What being the designated survivor is like
- On Tuesday, a Cabinet member is kept apart during a joint session like the State of the Union, with the designated survivor role last filled by Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins in March.
- The practice dates to the Cold War, when formalized by President Jimmy Carter and President Ronald Reagan amid fears of a Soviet nuclear strike, historian Garrett M. Graff records.
- A Cabinet member is flown or driven to an undisclosed site with Secret Service and military escorts, undergoes briefings, and watches the speech from command centers with thick binders of protocols.
- Chosen officials report heightened personal strain and adrenaline as James Nicholson faced sobering thoughts about becoming president while his wife attended the event.
- Recent continuity operations show the program remains active, with the White House Military Office assigning FEMA succession duties beginning April 1980; the concept is dramatized in novels and an ABC series starring Kiefer Sutherland.
79 Articles
79 Articles
Trump's Cabinet looked like they were on 'horror ride of their lives' during SOTU: analyst
President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday made his Cabinet members look like they were on the "horror ride of their lives," according to one analyst. Trump gave a record-breaking speech on Tuesday night, where he meandered through topics ranging from the economy to affordability...
You must be at least 35 years old and stay in a place far away from the capital. While the President of the United States talks before the Congress, there is a "Designed Survivor" that will ensure the continuity of the government.
9NEWS Denver
Who is the designated survivor for President Trump’s State of the Union address?
The designated survivor tradition calls for a Cabinet member to be absent from speeches to Congress in case of a catastrophic disaster at the U.S. Capitol.
abc10 News
KATCWho is the designated survivor for Trump’s State of the Union?
When the rest of the government is gathered together for a big event, like President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, a designated survivor is kept away to ensure someone in the line of leadership succession stays alive.The presidents pick to sit out this time is Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, who was also chosen as the designated survivor last year for the president's address to a joint session of Congress.Picking a fail-saf…
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