Doug Collins selected as designated survivor for State of the Union

President Donald Trump's designated survivor for his 2026 State of the Union Address is Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins. 

A designated survivor is an official in the presidential line of succession who is kept away from major gatherings in order to preserve continuity of government in the case of a mass-casualty decapitation event. 

Collins, a former Georgia lawmaker currently serving as the VA boss, is 17th in line to the presidency. 

Collins was also the designated survivor last year. 

However, though Collins may have been the White House's designated survivor to sit out the speech, Senator Chuck Grassley, who is the most veteran member of the chamber and is fourth in line to the presidency, also seemed to skip the event.

Though Washington, DC, and the US Capitol are some of the most heavily surveilled and policed areas in the country, there is always a plan for Uncle Sam and the federal government to outlast even the most deadly threats - like a strike on Congress while all the top US officials are gathered in one room. 

The State of the Union address typically features the entirety of Congress, 100 senators and 435 House representatives, all nine Supreme Court justices, the president's entire Cabinet, the president's family and scores of special guests, media and congressional staff. 

The concept of having a designated survivor originated in the 1950s when US officials first grew concerned about a nuclear attack taking out the government. 

However, the protocol was not publicly known until the 1980s, when the practice became more publicized and the administration would announce after the fact the identity of the designee. 

On the night of the State of the Union, the designated survivor is sent to an undisclosed location for protection. 

At times, there has also been a designated survivor for presidential inaugurations, which similarly feature all of the federal government's top brass. However, Trump's inauguration last year did not have a designee. 

During Joe Biden's final year as president in 2024, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who was 16th in line to the presidency. 

Beyond being a Cabinet official, the designated survivor must also be at least 35-years-old and a natural-born U.S. citizen.

While the US Constitution discusses the presidential line of succession, the process was clarified under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. 

It begins with the vice president, the speaker of the House, the Senate president pro tempore and then Cabinet members in the order of their respective department's creation. 

Some lawmakers have also historically sat out to preserve continuity of the legislative branch.  

House Democrats announced that Congressman Mike Thompson of California would be their designated survivor for Trump's State of the Union. He was also the party's designee last year. 

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Should politicians skip the State of the Union for safety or is their absence undermining democracy?

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'I’ve been selected as a designated survivor for tomorrow’s State of the Union, so I won’t be there in person, but I’ll be watching. Americans deserve accountability for the militarization of ICE, terrorization of our communities and killing of American citizens,' the Democrat announced on X this week. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson's office did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment on who, if anyone, would serve as the GOP's designated survivor.  

Though it may not be particularly necessary, as many Democrats have announced they would not attend Trump's speech in protest.