Who Is the Designated Survivor for Biden's SOTU Address? What We Know

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is the designated survivor for President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol.

Biden has arguably his biggest platform to defend and advocate for his administration's policies, many of which have been maligned by Republicans, such as immigration and inflation. The president is on a path to once again face presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in a rematch of the 2020 election, with Trump promising to fact-check in real time "all inaccurate statements" made by Biden during the address.

Last year, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh was the designated survivor during Biden's annual address. In 2022, the duty was assigned to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

"I didn't even know where I was going....God forbid something were to happen, but there's a quick second you think about that," Walsh told The Washington Post after the experience. "It's something that will be in history. I was the first labor secretary in the history of the United States to be designated."

During Trump's presidency, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross were selected for the role.

The roots of the designated survivor practice can be traced to the Cold War era, although the formalization of such protocols is a relatively recent development. The fear of a nuclear strike by the Soviet Union, which could potentially obliterate the United States government's executive branch, prompted the initiation of various plans for the continuity of government.

However, it wasn't until years later that the idea of a designated survivor during major government events, like the State of the Union, became standard procedure.

The term "designated survivor" refers to a member of the president's Cabinet who is chosen to remain at a secure, undisclosed location when the president, vice president and the rest of the Cabinet are gathered in one place, such as during the State of the Union address, presidential inaugurations and joint sessions of Congress. The practice ensures that someone in the line of presidential succession is always available to assume the presidency if a catastrophic event occurs.

The selection process for a designated survivor involves several criteria, including their eligibility to serve as president according to the U.S. Constitution. The person must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. The designated survivor is also provided with presidential-level security and briefings to prepare them for the possibility of assuming the presidency.

Selections have been made public dating to the 1980s, with most designated survivors coming from the departments of agriculture and the interior (tied at seven each), according to CNN. The Department of Commerce has had five, while Energy and Veterans Affairs have each had four. No Department of Education secretary has ever been designated.

One of the first publicly acknowledged instances of a designated survivor was during former President Ronald Reagan's State of the Union address in 1984, when Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Samuel R. Pierce was chosen for the role.

Update 3/7/24, 1:48 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.

Update 3/7/24, 9:30 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.