Designated Survivors Recall Highs, Lows Of Position

A member of President Trump's cabinet will not be in attendance during the State of the Union on Tuesday night. Instead, that person will be labeled as the designated survivor and whisked away by secret service agents to a safe house in case of a terror attack on the U.S. Capitol during the speech. 

The Trump administration chosen Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as the designated survivor. 

Last year, Dan Glickman who was the designated survivor in 1997, described the "terrible responsibility" of being tasked with having to potentially launch a nuclear strike in an article published by Politico. He wrote about being taken from Washington D.C. to his daughter's apartment in New York City, accompanied by members of the Secret Service and military officials who were carrying the "nuclear football" which allows the president to order a nuclear attack from anywhere in the world. But, as soon as Clinton was done speaking, the agents left, and he told NBC News, he went from potentially being the most powerful person in the world, to being stuck in a New York City restaurant unable to get a cab. 

Only three hours before, I was potentially the most powerful person in the world.  Three hours later, I couldn't even get a cab.

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson who served as the designated survivor during George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union explained that "one part of it seems totally unrealistic. Then there’s a certain realism that sets in, and you have to take it seriously." He said the officials ran him through scenarios in case calamity strikes, and they even referred to him as Mr. President. 

The practice of naming a designated survivor started in the 1960's during the height of the Cold War. It was not until the 1980's when the government began announcing the person tasked with keeping the government running in the event of a calamity. In 2003, select members of Congress were also asked to sit out the speech to ensure legislative succession in the event of an attack. 

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