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From Cabinet secretary to doomsday president: What being the designated survivor is like
A Cabinet member is kept apart during the State of the Union to ensure continuity of government in case of disaster, a practice dating back to the Cold War.
- On Tuesday, a Cabinet member is kept apart during a joint session like the State of the Union, with the designated survivor role last filled by Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins in March.
- The practice dates to the Cold War, when formalized by President Jimmy Carter and President Ronald Reagan amid fears of a Soviet nuclear strike, historian Garrett M. Graff records.
- A Cabinet member is flown or driven to an undisclosed site with Secret Service and military escorts, undergoes briefings, and watches the speech from command centers with thick binders of protocols.
- Chosen officials report heightened personal strain and adrenaline as James Nicholson faced sobering thoughts about becoming president while his wife attended the event.
- Recent continuity operations show the program remains active, with the White House Military Office assigning FEMA succession duties beginning April 1980; the concept is dramatized in novels and an ABC series starring Kiefer Sutherland.
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President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday made his Cabinet members look like they were on the "horror ride of their lives," according to one analyst. Trump gave a record-breaking speech on Tuesday night, where he meandered through topics ranging from the economy to affordability...
·United States
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You must be at least 35 years old and stay in a place far away from the capital. While the President of the United States talks before the Congress, there is a "Designed Survivor" that will ensure the continuity of the government.
·Portugal
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9NEWS Denver+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
Who is the designated survivor for President Trump’s State of the Union address?
The designated survivor tradition calls for a Cabinet member to be absent from speeches to Congress in case of a catastrophic disaster at the U.S. Capitol.
·Denver, United States
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Total News Sources101
Leaning Left23Leaning Right5Center65Last UpdatedBias Distribution70% Center
Bias Distribution
- 70% of the sources are Center
70% Center
L 25%
C 70%
Factuality
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