Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is the designated survivor who will skip the State of the Union and would take the reins of government in the event all other officials perished in a calamity.
Largely a creation of the Cold War, the role of designated survivor goes back at least 50 years.
And guessing the official who will remain at a secure undisclosed location during the address has long been a pre-SOTU parlor game in D.C.
Last year, Energy Secretary Steven Chu was the designated survivor.
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