Who is the designated survivor? What to know as Trump set to address Congress

Trump to deliver first address of his second term

President Donald Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night for the first time in his second term and is expected to deliver a speech to outline his plans for the nation under the theme of "The Renewal of the American Dream." Political analyst Rich Rubino joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss.

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second term on Tuesday.

Members of the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump's Cabinet will attend, but one Cabinet member will intentionally skip the address. He or she will be known as the "designated survivor."

Who is the designated survivor?

At least one Cabinet member will be missing from Tuesday night’s address: Doug Collins has been named the designated survivor.

Doug Collins, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, testifies during his Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 21, 2025 in W

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Big picture view:

The so-called "designated survivor" is a person in the presidential line of succession that is intentionally not in attendance at major presidential events, most commonly the State of the Union, to ensure someone could assume the office of the president in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.

Dig deeper:

Here are the previous designated survivors during Trump’s first presidency:

David Shulkin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2017 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress)
Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture (2018 State of the Union)
Rick Perry, Secretary of Energy (2019 State of the Union)
David Bernhardt, Secretary of the Interior (2020 State of the Union)

The "designated survivor" is sometimes also more formally referred to as "cabinet member not in attendance."

What is the presidential line of succession?

The president of the United States may be replaced if he or she:

Becomes incapacitated
Dies
Resigns
Is unable to hold office
Is removed from office

The U.S. Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 outline the presidential order of succession. The line of succession of cabinet officers is in the order of their agencies’ creation.