Instant Alert: One of Trump's Cabinet members gets to hide out during his State of the Union speech — here's how past 'designated survivors' spent their evenings under high security

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   One of Trump's Cabinet members gets to hide out during his State of the Union speech — here's how past 'designated survivors' spent their evenings under high security by Michal Kranz on Jan 30, 2018, 9:12 AM Advertisement With President Donald Trump's first official State of the Union address on Tuesday, the White House's security apparatus is making preparations for a grim worse-case scenario. If there was a targeted attack on the Capitol, someone would have to take over the government. Excluding the years immediately after a new president is elected, one member of the president's Cabinet has been selected every year since the 1960s to be the "designated survivor." They sit out the State of the Union far away from the House chamber, so that in case there is a catastrophe, a Senate-confirmed official could take the reigns of the presidency. Since 2005, a designated survivir from Congress has also been selected in order to rebuild the legislative branch. This year's designated survivor has not been announced yet. Although highly unlikely, this doomsday scenario has captured the imaginations of screen writers and TV producers, spawning a an entire show on ABC called simply "Designated Survivor." In the real world, designated survivors have often tended to be low-ranking cabinet members, and until 9/11, had spent their evenings away from Washington, DC in a variety of ways. Almost all choose to kick back, relax, and enjoy the perks of the presidential treatment for a few short hours. Here are how past designated survivors have spent their State of the Union addresses as the possible president-to-be: SEE ALSO: We could see an entirely different Trump at the State of the Union address A designated survivor has been selected for the State of Union address since sometime in the 1960s, but the first one documented person was secretary of housing and urban development Samuel R. Pierce Jr. at former President Ronald Reagan's in January 1984. Source: The American Presidency Project In 1986, agriculture secretary John Block spent Reagan's address from his friend's house on the shores of Montego Bay, Jamaica. "I was having a glass of wine probably," Block said after the fact. Source: ABC News In 1990, secretary of veteran affairs Ed Derwinski had a pretty casual experience as the designated survivor. He had pizza near his home while his security detail stood by. Source: ABC News See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network:    Email sent to: nguyenvu1187.love5@blogger.com   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011