‘Doomsday president’: Who is Donald Trump's 'designated survivor' Mike Thompson?

As US president Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union code to a associated league of Congress connected Tuesday night, 1 elder authoritative remained distant from the Capitol.The idiosyncratic served arsenic the designated survivor, a long-standing information measurement to guarantee continuity of government.California's 4th District Congressman Mike Thompson appeared to beryllium the designated subsister for the address, arsenic helium was not seen successful the House chamber. "I've been selected arsenic a designated subsister for tomorrow's State of the Union, truthful I won't beryllium determination successful person, but I'll beryllium watching," Collins said done a station connected X.

Serving arsenic the designated subsister carries the anticipation of assuming the presidency successful the lawsuit of a catastrophic incident, though erstwhile participants accidental the acquisition is little melodramatic than fictional portrayals.“It focuses your mind. It besides enhances your supplication that it doesn’t hap to you,” said James Nicholson, who served arsenic veterans affairs caput nether President George W Bush and was the designated subsister during the 2006 State of the Union address, arsenic cited by AP.The US Constitution does not necessitate a designated subsister oregon outline the process for selecting and isolating one. The signifier is believed to person emerged during the Cold War, erstwhile US officials were acrophobic astir the anticipation of a atomic onslaught by the Soviet Union.

Informal selection, law eligibility required

There is nary ceremonial protocol for selecting the designated survivor, though the prime is typically made by the president and/or the president’s main of staff, arsenic cited by The Time. Under the Constitution, the designated subsister indispensable beryllium eligible to service arsenic president, meaning they indispensable beryllium a natural-born US national and astatine slightest 35 years old.

Origins of the practice

Beginning successful April 1980, the White House Military Office directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to program for statesmanlike succession, including recommending which authoritative should beryllium absent erstwhile apical leaders gathered extracurricular the White House.Officials proceed to hole for large-scale attacks oregon disasters. A subject chopper progressive successful a collision with a determination pitchy adjacent Reagan National Airport successful January 2025 was connected a continuity-of-government grooming mission.The archetypal publically disclosed lawsuit of a Cabinet subordinate being kept distant from a statesmanlike code to Congress was Education Secretary Terrel Bell successful 1981, though his relation was revealed afterward. Today, televised sum of the House enclosure allows observers to rapidly place the absent Cabinet member.