
Who is the designated survivor for Trump’s State of the Union?
Newsy
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was tapped as the designated survivor for President Trump’s State of the Union, kept away to ensure continuity of government in case of catastrophe.
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 president’s 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-safe in case of a cataclysmic event that wipes out everyone else dates back to the Cold War. It's been dramatized in novels and an ABC series starring Kiefer Sutherland that aired from 2016 to 2019.













