One of President Trump's Cabinet members will skip Tuesday's State of the Union address, sitting out as the designated survivor who would become president if a catastrophic attack hit.
Why it matters: The designated survivor isn't just an invention of dime-store thrillers and Kiefer Sutherland shows — it's one of the country's most dramatic precautions, born from Cold War fears that gathering the nation's leaders in one place requires planning for the unthinkable.
What we're watching: The White House hasn't announced this year's designated survivor, but their absence during Trump's speech should make the choice clear.
Here's what to know:
History of the phenomenon
Zoom out: The practice dates back to the Cold War when fears that a nuclear strike could wipe out the line of succession created a need to "maintain some element of constitutional legitimacy," Gerhard Peters, co-director of The American Presidency Project, told History.com.
- Designated survivors must meet the same basic eligibility requirements for the presidency, which has disqualified foreign-born Cabinet members over the years.
Catch up quick: In previous years, Trump's Interior Secretary, Energy Secretary, and Agriculture Secretary have served as designated survivors during his SOTU addresses.
Flashback: There was no official designated survivor chosen for former President Biden's joint address to Congress in 2021, with several Cabinet members sitting out the speech due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What a designated survivor does
How it works: The designated survivor watches the speech from a secure, undisclosed location.
- Until 9/11, designated survivors had more freedom to choose where they'd go.
Zoom in: Alberto Gonzales, former President George W. Bush's attorney general and the 2007 designated survivor, told the AP the role is "sort of sobering."
- "You wonder, 'Would I be up to governing a wounded nation?'" he said.
- Based on interviews with designated survivors from the past two decades, the AP reported that Cabinet members are typically called a few days before the speech and offered location options.
Gonzales recalled arriving to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to find "members of every major department and agency" to accompany him, carrying thick binders stuffed with memos and protocol instructions, per the AP.
Congress' designated survivor
The intrigue: In recent years, "some members of Congress also have been designated to skip the State of the Union as a precaution," according to the National Constitution Center.
- Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) is the only designated survivor announced by Congress for this year's speech.
- Thompson said on Monday that he was selected by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
