Almost all of DC shut down for Trump’s inauguration. So why was there no designated survivor?

president Donald Trump’s Monday’s swearing-in ceremony featured the largest and most complex security footprint of any inauguration in U.S. history.

The nation’s capital was transformed seemingly overnight from a pedestrian-friendly city into a daunting and impenetrable fortress, the result of a multi-agency task force that erected 30 miles of fences anti-escalation, coordinated aerial surveillance and drones, and saw the deployment of tens of thousands of law enforcement, military personnel, undercover agents and National Guard trucks across DC

The impressive government-wide security effort Inauguration day was unprecedented, and not without reason: Trump was the victim of two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including a shooter who came close enough to cut off his ear, and a panorama of domestic threats that was further increased by terrorist inspiration. the New Orleans bombing and the execution-style killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan late last year.

It is notable, then, that this year’s expansive security footprint expressly did not include a key component considered fundamental to the American tradition: the name of a designated survivor.

Fencing is located in front of the United States Capitol. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

In DC, closely coordinated federal protection efforts were carefully planned long before Trump’s inauguration by the Secret Service and many other federal agencies.

It is both a nod to recent security concerns and largely an effort to protect the US politic, foreign dignitaries, donors and thousands of attendees from any catastrophe or mass threat.

The designated survivor, who in a catastrophic event would assume responsibility for leading the United States after a crisis, is usually a cabinet official when major security events bring elected officials together, such as inaugurations and State of the Union addresses. .

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Commander in Chief Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Previous designated survivors include former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was tapped for the role during President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

Gates, an appointee of George W. Bush, was continued by Obama and held his role at the Pentagon until July 2011, according to his official. Biography of the Department of Defense.

The survivor’s location, and sometimes identity, remains confidential until the event has dispersed and its attendants have safely returned home. In high-profile events, there is a more extensive contingency plan.

Like Garrett Graff reported in 2016Gates’ role as designated survivor during Obama’s inauguration also included the support of another government heavyweight—James Clapper, then the undersecretary for intelligence—who stood by during the ceremony in the depths of an underground government bunker in Pennsylvania, a backup copy of the backup copy, if you will, and a look at the detailed succession plan carefully crafted by a group of defense, intelligence and other federal agencies for over 40 years.

So it was notable that no designated survivor was named during the 47th presidential inauguration.

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President Donald Trump attends the Commander-in-Chief’s Inauguration Ball in Washington on January 20, 2025. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)

No reason was given for the absence of the designated survivor, who was the first reported by NBC News.

It is possible that the extensive coordinated security presence in the run-up to January 20 was considered sufficient to protect against any threat.

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President Donald Trump reviews the troops during his inauguration ceremony in the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025. (Greg Nash/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

It’s also possible that the event, which was held indoors and thus restricted to the public and members of the media, was small enough to not warrant Designated Survivor.

Prior to the event, FBI and Secret Service personnel emphasized the tight security measures in place and strict vetting of ticketed attendees.

David Sundberg of the FBI’s Washington field office he told Fox News earlier this week that the office was not tracking “any specific or credible threats” for Inauguration Day.

“All attendees will be screened,” said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington field office.

These people told Fox News that fencing alone is more than any other designated national security special event in the past.

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“Designated checkpoints will be set up for members of the public interested in attending the grand opening,” McCool said before the grand opening, a protocol that also applied to attendees at Capital One’s modified parties, which were moved indoors due to cold temperatures.

neither the white houseNeither DHS nor the FBI immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the absence of a designated survivor.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.