One seat within the U.S. Capitol will remain vacant on Tuesday evening as President Donald Trump presents his State of the Union address.
The cabinet member who usually occupies this seat will be absent from the building and its vicinity while the rest of the government convenes for Trump’s significant address to the nation. This person will watch the speech from a distance, symbolizing the doomsday president-in-waiting, a designation commonly referred to as the “designated survivor.”
What is a designated survivor? All we know ahead of Trump’s State of the Union
A designated survivor is chosen to guarantee that an individual in the line of leadership succession remains alive in the event of a catastrophic occurrence that eliminates everyone else. This concept originated during the Cold War and was formalized by the administrations of Carter and Reagan due to concerns that Soviet submarines positioned off the Atlantic coast could launch nuclear missiles, potentially annihilating Washington with little more than 10 minutes’ notice, as noted by historian and journalist Garrett M. Graff.
Who is the designated survivor?
One of the 15 cabinet secretaries is appointed to abstain from significant events such as the State of the Union, inaugurations, and presidential addresses to joint sessions of Congress, in order to maintain the Constitutional line of succession to the presidency in the case of a disaster, attack, or unexpected event.
This person would take over if the president, vice president, speaker of the House, and all other cabinet members in the presidential line of succession were rendered incapacitated.
Thompson chosen as designated survivor for 2026 State of the Union
Meanwhile, Representative Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced in a statement that he has been chosen by Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to serve as the designated survivor for the State of the Union address scheduled for Tuesday night.
Thompson will watch the speech from a secure and undisclosed location away from the campus.
Representative Thompson’s guest will be Bernie Narvaez, a veteran, small business owner, and City Councilmember from Napa, who will be present in person.
“Since the day he took office, this president has raised costs for hardworking families, unleashed ICE to terrorize our communities, and threatened unlawful military attacks on foreign countries,” Thompson stated. “He’s made Americans’ lives and our democracy worse off,” he continued.
“President Trump is unpopular because he’s failed to lower costs, failed to fire 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,” Thompson added.
Thompson serves California’s Fourth Congressional District, which encompasses all or parts of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties.