Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins tapped as designated survivor for State of the Union

The sole member of President Trump’s Cabinet who stayed behind during the annual State of the Union speech Tuesday evening was Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.

As the traditional so-called designated survivor, Mr. Collins was the de facto successor in the event of a disaster that would wipe out the direct line of presidential succession during the president’s address to a joint session of Congress.

He also filled the role last year when Mr. Trump came back for his second term. Before that, the role was occupied by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in 2020; Energy Secretary Rick Perry in 2019; Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue in 2018; and Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin in 2017, according to the American Presidency Project.

The designated survivor is typically at a secure location during the speech, outside the boundaries of the U.S. Capitol building, where all of the nation’s highest leaders gather in the same place. Designated survivors date back to the early 1960s but were only publicly announced starting in the early 1980s, as a prime-time TV event made it apparent which of the secretaries were missing from the speech.

The Veterans Affairs secretary is 17th in line to the presidency. 

Rep. Mike Thompson of California was tapped as the Democrats’ designated survivor, chosen by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

His guest, Marine Corps veteran and Napa City Councilmember Bernie Narvaez, will attend in person. 

Mr. Thompson used his announcement to shake his finger at the president, saying Mr. Trump has made “Americans’ lives and our democracy worse off.”

“President Trump is unpopular because he’s failed to lower costs, failed to fire [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem, and failed to follow the rule of law. Americans demand answers when he addresses the nation. We will keep holding him to account in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the court of public opinion,” he said.