- The practice of one Cabinet official skipping large in-person events dates back to the early 1960s and perhaps much earlier, according to the Senate Historical Office.
- But it wasn’t until the 1980s that the White House started to publicly announce the names of officials selected to skip the State of the Union address and presidential inaugurations.
- Former Commerce Secretary Bill Daley, the designated survivor in 1998, told West Wing Playbook that he enjoyed an early dinner with his brother at The Palm restaurant in D.C. before going to a friend’s house to watch President Clinton’s speech.
