Mr. Trump’s presidential inauguration did not have a “designated survivor”, breaking a tradition that has existed for more than 75 years in American politics.
On January 20, Donald Trump was sworn in as president in the Rotunda area of the Capitol building, taking over power from his predecessor Joe Biden. This is one of the few events in American politics that brings together a series of high-ranking officials from the country.
Events that gather so many important people at one location raise the question of who will lead the US if the venue is attacked and they are all killed. To guard against this scenario, a cabinet official will be designated as a survivor, not participating in the event, and escorted to a safe and secret location.
However, NBC News and Fox News Citing a source, Mr. Trump’s inauguration had no one designated as a survivor, breaking a tradition that has existed for more than 75 years. The information is even more interesting because Mr. Trump faced two assassination plots during his election campaign.
President Donald Trump spoke at the Rotunda, US Congress, after the inauguration ceremony on January 20. Image: AP
According to the Presidential Succession Act, passed by the US Congress in 1792 and amended in 1886 and 1947, the successor in case the president loses leadership ability is respectively the vice president and president of the Senate. President of the House of Representatives. Next come the cabinet members in the order of their agency, first with the secretary of state and ending with the secretary of homeland security.
Under President Dwight Eisenhower, during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, federal officials proposed a “continuous government” scenario to respond to the risk of an opponent nuclear attack on Washington.
Historians say this is when the “designated survivor” process began, applied to important events that required the participation of most high-ranking officials, such as inaugurations and holidays. The president delivers the State of the Union Address.
There is no specific process for selecting “survivors,” Jon Favreau, who wrote Barack Obama’s speeches, told The Ringer. The choice is sometimes made “depending on the extent to which their policies and programs are mentioned in the speech”.
The “survivor” needs to meet two criteria to take on the position of White House boss: being over 35 years old and being a citizen born in the US. The chosen person will have to swear an oath of secrecy, then undergo special training to be ready to take on the duties of the president.
“They take you around the White House, show you the Situation Room and talk about the responsibilities of the chosen one,” said former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, who was named survivor when Bill Clinton read the Declaration. State of the Union address in 1996, said.
The night before the important event, the chosen person often carries a briefcase containing the nuclear code and is accompanied by a secret agent to a secret location to monitor the event. This person’s identity is often kept secret until the last moments before the event and is often announced afterward. The secretary of agriculture and the secretary of the interior are chosen more often than other cabinet positions.
John Hudak, deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Administration at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said that during inauguration ceremonies, the outgoing administration is the one choosing “survivors.”
President Donald Trump spoke after the inauguration ceremony at the Rotunda, US Capitol building on January 20. Image: AP
The White House, the US Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have not commented on the information that there was no “designated survivor” when Mr. Trump took office.
Jeh Johnson, secretary of homeland security during the Barack Obama administration, was chosen at Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin was selected when Mr. Trump spoke before Congress in February of the same year.
Mr. Trump’s designated survivors at the 2018, 2019 and 2020 State of the Union addresses were agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue, energy secretary Rick Perry and interior secretary David Bernhardt, respectively.
The Trump administration did not reveal who the designated survivor was when Mr. Biden was sworn into office in 2021. Based on the guest list at that time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was not present at the event, raising speculation that he was select.
Experts say that this year’s officials may assess that the process of ensuring security in preparation for Mr. Trump’s inauguration in Washington is sufficient to deal with any threat. This year’s inauguration also took place in the Capitol building, with public and media attendance limited enough that there was no need for a designated survivor.
David Sundberg, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said they were “not aware of any specific threats” aimed at inauguration day.
“All guests are subject to security screening,” said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office.