A top government official named designated survivor to preserve the presidential line of succession in the event of a catastrophe.

The so-called "designated survivor" is a person in the presidential line of succession that is intentionally not in attendance at major presidential events, most commonly the State of the Union, to ensure someone could assume the office of the president in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins is this year’s designated survivor, according to a White House official, retreating from Washington to an undisclosed location during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening.