President Donald Trump delivers his 2026 State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. However, one high-ranking official is noted to be absent from the U.S. Capitol.
Doug Collins, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), seems to be the designated survivor for this year. Collins was chosen for the position last year and will be absent from the State of the Union for the second consecutive year.
This is a long-standing presidential tradition that sends one Cabinet member to a secure, undisclosed location whenever the president, vice president and other government leaders gather in one place. in case disaster strikes.
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Who becomes the designated and why?
If a disaster, attack, or other unanticipated event occurs, one of the 15 cabinet secretaries is chosen to abstain from high-profile events such as the State of the Union, inaugurations, and presidential speeches to joint sessions of Congress. This is done to maintain the Constitutional line of succession to the presidency.
{{/usCountry}}If a disaster, attack, or other unanticipated event occurs, one of the 15 cabinet secretaries is chosen to abstain from high-profile events such as the State of the Union, inaugurations, and presidential speeches to joint sessions of Congress. This is done to maintain the Constitutional line of succession to the presidency.
{{/usCountry}}If the president, vice president, speaker of the House, and every other cabinet member in the presidential line of succession were incapacitated, the designated survivor assumes leadership reins.
The designated survivor must meet constitutional eligibility requirements to assume the presidency, meaning they must be a natural-born U.S. citizen and at least 35 years old.
According to the Presidential Succession Act of 1792, which was revised during the Truman administration's Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the VA secretary is ranked 17th in the presidential line of succession.
According to CNN, it would be the sixth time a VA secretary has been chosen.
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Where is the designated survivor taken?
The designated survivor will be transported to a safe location before Trump's speech, where they will be protected by the military and enhanced Secret Service.
The "nuclear football," a leather suitcase with the nuclear launch codes, will also be given to this designated survivor.
Although the concept of a chosen survivor originated during the Cold War, it wasn't made public until the Reagan administration of the 1980s.