This Georgia politician was State of the Union’s designated survivor
During the annual State of the Union address where the president speaks to Congress, Supreme Court judges and other elected officials, the country’s most powerful politicians are all together in one room.
So, what happens if there is an attack?
That’s why there is a designated survivor. For major political events — addresses to Congress, inaugurations, etc. — a politician in the presidential line of succession is chosen to sit the event out, thereby leaving a “survivor” who could run the country in the case of catastrophic loss.
It may seem like an easy way to get FOMO (fear of missing out), but instead it’s often treated as an honor knowing you could carry the torch if duty called.
Doug Collins chosen as designated survivor for SOTU
On Tuesday, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins was identified as the designated survivor for the State of the Union. He did not attend the address with other cabinet members.
Collins, formerly a representative from Georgia’s 9th district, was also selected for Trump’s joint address to Congress last year.
Collins currently sits on the president’s cabinet after being appointed in 2025, and according to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 would normally be 17th in line for the presidency should a catastrophe take place.
The act was signed by President Harry Truman in the years after his predecessor Franklin Roosevelt died in office.
During the speech, Collins was taken to an undisclosed location to be kept safe.
What is Trump’s line of succession?
The presidential line of succession can be used when the president “cannot carry out the duties of the office” and responsibilities have to be passed on to the next best government leader. A president could be unfit because they are incapacitated, they die, they resign, they are unable to hold office or they are removed from office.
Here is the line of succession under the current administration should Trump be unable to lead:
- Vice President — J.D. Vance
- Speaker of the House — Mike Johnson
- President Pro Tempore of the Senate — Chuck Grassley
- Secretary of State — Marco Rubio
- Secretary of the Treasury — Scott Bessent
- Secretary of Defense (War) — Pete Hegseth
- Attorney General — Pam Bondi
- Secretary of the Interior — Doug Burgum
- Secretary of Agriculture — Brooke Rollins
- Secretary of Commerce — Howard Lutnick
- Secretary of Labor — Lori Chavez-DeRemer
- Secretary of Health and Human Services — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development — Scott Turner
- Secretary of Transportation — Sean Duffy
- Secretary of Energy — Chris Wright
- Secretary of Education — Linda McMahon
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs — Doug Collins
- Secretary of Homeland Security — Kristi Noem
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
