Image: X@/RepThompson, AP

As US president Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, one senior official remained away from the Capitol.The individual served as the designated survivor, a long-standing security measure to ensure continuity of government.California’s 4th District Congressman Mike Thompson appeared to be the designated survivor for the address, as he was not seen in the House chamber. “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,” Collins said through a post on X.Serving as the designated survivor carries the possibility of assuming the presidency in the event of a catastrophic incident, though former participants say the experience is less dramatic than fictional portrayals.“It focuses your mind. It also enhances your prayer that it doesn’t happen to you,” said James Nicholson, who served as veterans affairs secretary under President George W Bush and was the designated survivor during the 2006 State of the Union address, as cited by AP.The US Constitution does not require a designated survivor or outline the process for selecting and isolating one. The practice is believed to have emerged during the Cold War, when US officials were concerned about the possibility of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union.

Informal selection, constitutional eligibility required

There is no formal protocol for selecting the designated survivor, though the choice is typically made by the president and/or the president’s chief of staff, as cited by The Time. Under the Constitution, the designated survivor must be eligible to serve as president, meaning they must be a natural-born US citizen and at least 35 years old.

Origins of the practice

Beginning in April 1980, the White House Military Office directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to plan for presidential succession, including recommending which official should be absent when top leaders gathered outside the White House.Officials continue to prepare for large-scale attacks or disasters. A military helicopter involved in a collision with a regional jet near Reagan National Airport in January 2025 was on a continuity-of-government training mission.The first publicly disclosed instance of a Cabinet member being kept away from a presidential address to Congress was Education Secretary Terrel Bell in 1981, though his role was revealed afterward. Today, televised coverage of the House chamber allows observers to quickly identify the absent Cabinet member.