Every State Of The Union Has A 'Designated Survivor' - Here's Why

  • 5 years ago
The State of the Union address will take place on Tuesday, and, as usual, the person chosen as the “designated survivor” will be missing it, as he or she will be spending the evening in an undisclosed, secured located.

The State of the Union address will take place on Tuesday, and, as usual, the person chosen as the "designated survivor" will be missing it, as he or she will be spending the evening in an undisclosed, secure location, notes Mental Floss. That practice dates back to the Cold War and is a measure taken to ensure that should mass tragedy befall the attendees of the event—and particularly those in the line of presidential succession--the nation will have someone ready to step in as its leader. In 2018, that person was Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. 
NPR noted last year: "The last 16 designated survivors have been men, and only two women have been selected in the past 24 years."