WASHINGTON — If disaster strikes at the State of the Union, Jeh Johnson, the secretary of homeland security, could be the next president.
He won't attend President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday night, chosen as the White House's "designated survivor" this year. Johnson has been headed up the Department of Homeland Security since 2013. He previously served as a general counsel at the Department of Defense.
Each year, the White House chief of staff picks a cabinet-level official as the so-called "designated survivor" to spend the State of the Union night in an undisclosed location.
DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson will be the "designated survivor," not attending SOTU to ensure continuity of govt should catastrophe happen— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 13, 2016
The so-called "designated survivor" serves as a potential president-in-waiting in case there is a catastrophic event in the House chamber during the State of the Union address since the president, the vice president and the Speaker of the House, who is third in line for the presidency, all attend.
The tradition dates back to the Cold War, when the country's leaders feared a nuclear attack. It's continued every year since.
At last year's State of the Union, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was deemed the "designated survivor." Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz held the title in 2013.
Tuesday night is Obama's final State of the Union address of his presidency.