Almost all of DC shut down for Trump’s inauguration. So why wasn’t there a marked survivor?

President Donald Trump Monday’s swearing-in ceremony had the largest, most elaborate security footprint of any inauguration in US history.

The nation’s capital was transformed seemingly overnight from a pedestrian-friendly city into an intimidating and impenetrable fortress—the result of a multi-agency task force that erected 30 miles of rock fencing, coordinated aerial surveillance and drones, and saw the deployment of tens of thousands of police, military personnel, secret agents and National Guard trucks across DC

Impressive security efforts across the government Inauguration Day it was unprecedented, and for good reason: Trump was the victim of two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign — including a shooter who got so close he cut his ear — and a domestic threat compounded by the terrorist attack in New Orleans and the execution-style killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan late last year.

Notably, then, this year’s widespread security trail did not explicitly include one key component considered fundamental to the American tradition: the naming of a designated survivor.

In DC, the Secret Service and many other federal agencies carefully planned a tightly coordinated federal security effort long before Trump’s inauguration ceremony.

It is both a nod to recent security concerns, and to a greater extent an attempt to protect the American body politic, foreign dignitaries, donors and thousands of visitors from any mass disaster or threat.

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

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Previously designated survivors included 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, a George W. Bush appointee, was retained by Obama and served at the Pentagon until July 2011, according to his official Biography of the Ministry of Defense.

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

Like Garrett Graff registered in 2016Gates’ role as designated survivor during Obama’s inauguration also included the support of another government heavyweight — James Clapper, then undersecretary for intelligence — who holed up deep in an underground government bunker in Pennsylvania during the ceremony, a fallback, if you will, and bypassing the detailed succession plan that carefully crafted by defense, intelligence and other federal agencies over a span of some 40 years or more.

Therefore, it was evident that not a single designated survivor was named during the 47th Presidential Inauguration.

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No reason was given for the non-appearance of the marked survivor, who was the first reports NBC News.

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

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It is also possible that the event, which was held indoors and therefore limited to the public and members of the media, was limited enough not to warrant naming a survivor.

In the run-up to the event, FBI and Secret Service personnel emphasized strict security measures and strict vetting of all ticketed attendees.

David Sundberg of the FBI’s Washington office he previously told Fox News this week that the bureau was not following up on “any specific or credible threats” for Inauguration Day.

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

These individuals told Fox News that the fencing itself is more than any other special national security event in the past.

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“Definite checkpoints will be set up for members of the public interested in attending the inauguration,” McCool said ahead of the inauguration — protocol also applied to attendees of Capital One’s modified festivities, which were moved inside due to cold temperatures.

Nor The white houseNeither DHS nor the FBI immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the absence of the designated survivor.

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