The State of the Union is, of course, one of the most heavily protected events in the world. The speech is designated a National Security Special Event, the highest protective status an event can be given. There has been a heavy law enforcement presence around the Capitol for days, including a security fence encircling the building.
Still, what-if scenarios about the designated survivor have fueled the popular imagination, and even inspired a television series.
Constitutionally, Vice President Harris would be the first to succeed Biden, followed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R.-La.) and Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Following them are the members of the president’s Cabinet, in the order their offices were created.
In 2022, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was the designated survivor. Last year, it was then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.
“I didn’t even know where I was going. … God forbid something were to happen, but there’s a quick second you think about that,” Walsh told The Washington Post later. “It’s something that will be in history. I was the first labor secretary in the history of the United States to be designated.”
Cardona served numerous roles in education in his home state of Connecticut. He was a teacher, then a principal and ultimately served as the state’s commissioner of education.
Authorities have not disclosed where he will watch the speech from.