Staff Taylor Tinsley
President Trump’s entire Cabinet was present in the Lower Chamber for Tuesday night’s State of the Union (SOTU) address, with one exception.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was selected as the designated survivor for the address.
Collins did not attend the address and instead remained at a secure, undisclosed location as part of standard continuity-of-government protocol. The designated survivor tradition requires one Cabinet member to stay away from the Capitol during major joint sessions of Congress in case of an emergency.
Collins was also selected as the designated survivor during Trump’s joint address to Congress in March 2025.
President Trump’s designated survivors for his previous addresses over the years include:
- Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin , 2017
- Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, 2018
- Energy Secretary Rick Perry, 2019
- Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, 2020
The designated survivor “tradition” began in the 1950’s during the height of the Cold War. They’re appointed to take over as “doomsday president” if disaster strikes and to keep the government running. Although the designated survivor is selected as a continuity-of-government precaution, the role has never been activated in U.S. history, and no designated survivor has ever had to assume the presidency following a SOTU address.
Representative Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) was selected as the Democrats’ designated survivor.
A designated survivor must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and live in the U.S. for at least 14 years. All of President Trump’s members, however, are eligible.
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