Administration spokesman Gene Raimondo, secretary of commerce, will be the so-called designated survivor of the Union State, watching President Biden’s speech from afar, according to administration spokesman.
Intriguing in name – but thankfully not that far off in practice – the designated survivor is not present at the president’s address. Traditionally, he or she watches from a remote and safe location and is prepared to assume the duties of president in the event that a disaster strikes the Capitol and wipes out most of the government.
In most cases, the brief tenure of a designated survivor has huge implications in the public imagination: there is a television series of the same name about a low-ranking cabinet minister who suddenly becomes president after a terrorist attack.
But for many people who are watching closely, the Russian invasion of Ukraine — and Vladimir Putin’s repeated references to his arsenal of modern battlefield and strategic weapons — has turned the idea from a Hollywood gimmick to palpable fear.
According to the National Constitution Center, the idea of a designated survivor originated in the late 1950s during the Cold War. The first publicly named survivor was Terrell Bell, who served as Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of Education in 1981.
Former Rhode Island Governor Ms. Raimondo is known for her businesslike and pragmatic presence in the White House. Among other tasks, she was responsible for the Department of Commerce’s efforts to increase supplies of scarce semiconductors, expand broadband in the United States, and negotiate new trade regulations with Asian nations.