President Donald Trump appears to have selected Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins as the designated survivor for Tuesday's State of the Union address, making him the designated survivor for the second year in a row, NBC News reported. 

An unnamed administration official confirmed Collins as the designated survivor to the outlet. Collins was notably missing from the Presidential Cabinet's formal entrance to the House chamber.  

Collins, who was the designated survivor last year, is the 17th person in line for the presidency.

The designated survivor practice dates back to the Cold War era and places a Cabinet official in a separate undisclosed place from the speech in order to secure the presidential line of succession in case of a terror attack. 

Other recent designated survivors during former President Joe Biden's tenure were former Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in 2024, former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in 2023, and former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in 2022.