President Donald Trump’s Monday’s swearing-in ceremony had the largest and most complex security footprint of any inauguration in American history.
The nation’s capital was transformed seemingly overnight from a pedestrian-friendly city into a terrifying and impenetrable fortress — the result of a multi-agency task force that erected 50 miles of anti-scale fencing, coordinated aerial surveillance and drones, and saw the deployment of tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, military personnel, undercover agents and National Guard trucks in D.C.
The impressive security efforts of the entire government Inauguration Day was unprecedented, and for good reason: Trump was the victim of two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign — including a gunman who got so close to him that he cut his ear — and a domestic threat landscape further amplified by the terrorist-inspired attack in New Orleans and the execution-style murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan late last year.
It’s notable, then, that this year’s sprawling security footprint did not explicitly include one key component considered fundamental to American tradition: naming a designated survivor.
There is a fence in front of the US Capitol. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
In DC, the tightly coordinated federal protection efforts were carefully planned long before Trump’s inauguration ceremony by the Secret Service and many other federal agencies.
It is both a nod to recent security concerns and, above all, an attempt to protect American politics, foreign dignitaries, donors and thousands of attendees from any mass disaster or threat.
The designated survivor, who in a catastrophic event would be responsible for leading the U.S. in the aftermath of a crisis, is typically a Cabinet official when major security events put elected officials all in one place, 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)
Previously designated survivors include former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was drafted into the role during President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
Gates, appointed by George W. Bush, was appointed by Obama and served in his role at the Pentagon until July 2011, according to his official. Department of Defense Biography.
The survivor’s location, and sometimes identity, remains confidential until the event has dispersed and attendees have returned home safely. At high-profile events there is a broader emergency plan in place.
Like Garrett Graff reported in 2016Gates’ role as designated survivor at Obama’s inauguration also included the support of another administration heavyweight — James Clapper, then the deputy secretary of intelligence — who hid deep in an underground government bunker in Pennsylvania during the ceremony, providing a backup for the backup, if you will, and a nod to the detailed succession plan carefully crafted by a group of defense, intelligence and other federal agencies over the course of more than four decades.
So it was notable that no designated survivor was named at the 47th presidential inauguration.
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President Donald Trump attends the Commander in Chief Ball celebrating his inauguration in Washington on January 20, 2025. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)
No reason was given for the absence of the designated survivor, who was the first This is reported by NBC News.
It is possible that the extensive security presence coordinated in the run-up to January 20 was deemed sufficient to protect against any threats.
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President Donald Trump discusses 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 is also possible that the event, which was held indoors and thus limited to the public and members of the news media, was limited enough not to warrant the designated survivor.
Before the event, FBI and Secret Service officials emphasized the strict security measures in place and strict vetting of all ticketed visitors.
David Sundberg of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Fox News previously said this week that the agency was not tracking any “specific or credible threats” to Inauguration Day.
“All attendees will undergo screening,” said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office.
These individuals told Fox News that the fencing alone is more than any other national special security event in the past.
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“Dedicated checkpoints will be set up for members of the public interested in attending the inauguration,” McCool said ahead of the inauguration — a protocol that also applied to attendees of the modified Capital One festivities, who due to the cold temperatures were moved indoors.
Neither the White HouseNeither DHS nor the FBI immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the absence of a designated survivor.
Elizabeth Elkind of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
