Rep. Mike Thompson picked as Democrats’ designated survivor for Trump’s State of the Union

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) will act as House Democrats’ “designated survivor” for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

In a press release, Thompson shared that he was selected by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Thompson will watch Trump’s “speech from a secure, undisclosed location” away from the U.S. Capitol.

In Thompson’s place, Napa city council member Bernie Narvaez, who is also an Iraq War veteran and business owner, will attend the address.

Thompson bashed Trump’s leadership, accusing him of making “Americans’ lives and our democracy worse off.”

“Since the day he took office, this president has raised costs for hardworking families, unleashed ICE to terrorize our communities, and threatened unlawful military attacks on foreign countries,” Thompson said in a press release.

“President Trump is unpopular because he’s failed to lower costs, failed to fire Kristi Noem, and failed to follow the rule of law,” Thompson continued. “Americans demand answers when he addresses the nation. We will keep holding him to account in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the court of public opinion.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is the only member of Congress a part of the presidential line, directly following the Vice President. However, House and Senate leadership began selecting their own “designated survivors” in the wake of the September 9, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile, the tradition of presidential administrations selecting designated survivors can be traced to the 1950s at the height of the Cold War. This was at a time when nuclear attack was deemed a very plausible threat.

The White House has yet to reveal its choice for this years’ designated survivor. During Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins was not in attendance.