The Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins was appointed the Designated Survivor during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night.
According to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, because the line of succession to the presidency would all be present at the address, the White House appoints someone as the “designated survivor” in case a catastrophic event unfolds.
“The entire line of the presidential succession is inside that chamber tonight, so always on these nights, there is one person who is selected to hang back in case of a catastrophic event … I have just been told by a White House official that tonight that person is the Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.”
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Doug Collins is an American lawyer, politician and Air Force veteran who has served in his role as VA Secretary since 2025. Collins previously represented Georgia as a U.S. Representative and served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve since 2002.
