{"id":2573212,"date":"2026-02-24T22:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T03:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doug-collins-to-serve-as-designated-survivor-for-trumps-state-of-the-union\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T22:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T03:26:19","slug":"doug-collins-to-serve-as-designated-survivor-for-trumps-state-of-the-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doug-collins-to-serve-as-designated-survivor-for-trumps-state-of-the-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Doug Collins to serve as designated survivor for Trump&#8217;s State of the Union"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoug-collins-to-serve-as-designated-survivor-for-trumps-state-of-the-union%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573212&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Doug Collins will serve as the designated survivor for President Trump\u2019s 2026 State of the Union, watching the address from a secure location to ensure a continuation of the government in case of a catastrophic incident at the Capitol. The article outlines that collins has previously held the role for Trump\u2019s 2025 address and places the tradition in a broader past context, noting that designated survivors have included other cabinet secretaries and that the practice originated during the Cold War and was formalized in 1980 when FEMA was tasked with coordinating survivors. It also explains that, despite the public profile of the role, no designated survivor has ever become president because the vice president and congressional leadership would still need to be incapacitated or killed first.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >piece discusses nuances<\/a> about eligibility, citing expert Martha Joynt Kumar who says an official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-staggering-levels-of-fraud-with-more-than-100-billion-in-covid-19-aid-misspent-or-stolen\/\" title=\"...ort: \u2018Staggering\u2019 Levels Of Fraud, With More Than 0 Billion In Covid-19 Aid \u2018Misspent\u2019 Or Stolen\">cabinet secretary<\/a> must be in the presidential line of succession. democrats designated Rep. Mike Thompson as their survivor for the event. It includes reflections from past survivors, like James Nicholson, on the pressure and gravity of the position, and places the tradition within <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/turning-point-usas-all-american-halftime-show-everything-you-need-to-know\/\" title=\"Turning Point USA&#039;s &#039;All-American Halftime Show&#039;: Everything you need to know\">broader media coverage<\/a> and historical context.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Doug Collins to serve as designated survivor for Trump&rsquo;s State of the Union<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins appears to be the designated survivor for President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4469820\/big-guys-trump-hosts-us-olympic-hockey-team-state-of-the-union\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-of-the-union\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"658\">State of the Union<\/a> address.<\/p>\n<p>Collins was not in attendance at Trump&rsquo;s Tuesday night remarks in the U.S. Capitol. The designated survivor views the president&rsquo;s speech from a secure location to ensure a clean line of succession in the event of an attack.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4470489\/democrats-targeted-illegal-orders-video-attend-trump-state-union\/\">Democrats targeted over &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-concha-slams-democrats-who-urged-troops-to-reject-illegal-orders\/\" title=\"Joe Concha slams ... who urged troops to reject \u2018illegal orders\u2019\">illegal orders&#038;rsquo<\/a>; video attend Trump State of the Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4469755\/trump-boasts-falling-inflation-during-joint-address-context\/\">Trump boasts of falling inflation during joint address: Here&rsquo;s the context<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4470276\/us-jalisco-airports-secure-cartel-mexico\/\">US says Jalisco airports secure after clashes between cartels and Mexican forces<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The move is a sequel for Collins who<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3336290\/doug-collins-designated-survivor-trump-address-congress\/\"> served as the designated survivor<\/a> for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3336289\/7-takeaways-trump-combative-joint-address-congress\/\">Trump&rsquo;s 2025 address to a joint session of Congress<\/a>. In 2017, that honor went to former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, while former Agriculture Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sonny-perdue\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3105\">Sonny Perdue<\/a>, former Energy Secretary Rick Berry, and former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt were the designated survivors for Trump&rsquo;s first term State of the Union addresses.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"tpd-featured-video featured-post-video in-content bridtv\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2515230\" class=\"brid\" style=\"width:1280;height:720;\"> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tpd-featured-video-placeholder\" style=\"position:relative;overflow:hidden;width:100%;padding-top:56.25%;background-color:#000;\">\n<div style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;width:100%;height:100%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/trump-state-of-the-union-2026-live-updates\/\">LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP DELIVERS 2026 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Presidential historian and director of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4464979\/trump-boots-press-white-house-governors-breakfast\/\">White House<\/a> Transition Project Martha Joynt Kumar noted to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that some within the president&rsquo;s Cabinet, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, aren&rsquo;t technically eligible to be the designated survivor as those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/charlie-would-be-proud-turning-point-helps-deliver-a-huge-bright-spot-in-arizona-on-a-tough-election-night\/\" title=\"&#039;Charlie Would Be Proud&#039;: Turning Point Helps Deliver &#039;A Huge Bright Spot&#039; in Arizona on a Tough Election Night\">positions aren&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t in the official presidential line of succession.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It has to be a Cabinet secretary,&rdquo; she explained. &ldquo;Not just a person the president names as part of his Cabinet.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Toward that end, Democrats in Congress designated Rep. Mike Thompson to serve as their designated survivor for Tuesday&rsquo;s event.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I won&rsquo;t be there in person, but I&rsquo;ll be watching,&rdquo; he wrote in a statement on Monday. &ldquo;Americans deserve accountability for the militarization of ICE, terrorization of our communities and killing of American citizens.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&rsquo;ve been selected as a designated survivor for tomorrow&rsquo;s State of the Union, so I won&rsquo;t be there in person, but I&rsquo;ll be watching.&nbsp;Americans deserve accountability for the militarization of ICE, terrorization of our communities and killing of American citizens. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ig3cFdQcCV\">pic.twitter.com\/ig3cFdQcCV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rep. Mike Thompson (@RepThompson) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepThompson\/status\/2025962609808228436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The tradition was formally adopted during the Cold War, when both former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan feared an attack on Washington, D.C. by Soviet Union submarines in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/designated-survivor-state-union-speech-7403ae273d884d52a1db5f2380935b1d\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 1980, the Reagan White House formally tasked the Federal Emergency Management Agency with recommending a designated survivor for events where the entire line of succession, including Congressional leadership, was gathered in a single location.<\/p>\n<p>However, prior to the 2002 State of the Union, delivered by former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-w-bush\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"697\">George W. Bush<\/a> just months after the September 11 terror attacks, designated survivors were given virtually free reign to spend their time away from the Capitol how, and where, they desired. Former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, the designated survivor for 2000&rsquo;s State of the Union, reportedly moved up a planned vacation to Maryland&rsquo;s Eastern Shore when alerted of his designation by former President Bill Clinton.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Despite the position&rsquo;s popularization in the media, including an ABC series starring Keifer Sutherland bearing the same name and the &ldquo;Ice Cube&rdquo; movie &ldquo;XXX: State of the Union,&rdquo; a designated survivor has never ascended to the position of president. The vice president, Speaker of the House, and president pro tempore of the Senate would all need to be killed or incapacitated before a Cabinet secretary would take up the presidential mantle.<\/p>\n<p>But that hasn&rsquo;t stopped past survivors from feeling the pressure.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4469820\/big-guys-trump-hosts-us-olympic-hockey-team-state-of-the-union\/\"><strong>&lsquo;BIG GUYS, HUH?&rsquo;: TRUMP HOSTS US OLYMPIC HOCKEY TEAM AT THE WHITE HOUSE AHEAD OF STATE OF THE UNION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Former Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson, Bush&rsquo;s 2006 designated survivor, told the Associated Press that the process &ldquo;focuses your mind&rdquo; and &ldquo;enhances your prayer that it doesn&rsquo;t happen to you.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The enormity of that job. You think about, remote as it is, this is something you might have to do,&rdquo; he explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Doug Collins designated survivor for Trump&#8217;s SOTU<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2645,"featured_media":2573213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wex_yoast_1200_v4.png?resize=1200,683","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74511,48956,5894,51662,3634],"class_list":["post-2573212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-designated-survivor","tag-doug-collins","tag-politics","tag-state-of-the-union","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wex_yoast_1200_v4.png?resize=1200,683","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573212"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573216,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573212\/revisions\/2573216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2573213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}