The “designated survivor” for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address tonight has been revealed — and it’s a person well-acquainted with the responsibility.
The Cabinet member serving as this year’s designated survivor is Doug Collins, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, according to CNN. Collins was previously tapped for this role during Trump’s last joint session of Congress in March 2025.
The term designated survivor refers to a person in the presidential line of succession who is chosen to stay away from the State of the Union address or other similar gatherings typically attended by all Cabinet officials.
This precaution ensures that if a catastrophic event occurs, someone will remain alive to lead the executive branch. The tradition is believed to date back to the Cold War era, when the government was concerned about nuclear strikes from the Soviet Union.
“The designated survivor has most frequently been a Secretary from the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce,” according to the Congressional Research Service.
Previously, Joe Biden’s Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo have been chosen.
Lawmakers have also selected their own member to remain absent from tonight’s speech in the event of calamity.
Rep. Mike Thompson, a California Democrat, is the Democrats’ designated survivor for Trump’s address. Thompson said in a press release that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries chose him for the role. It’s not clear if a Republican counterpart has been chosen.
Congressional leaders have tapped a designated survivor since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in order to ensure continuity of the legislative branch.
Thus far, designated survivors have never been needed to assume power during a State of the Union address.
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