At President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, the audience included some special guests invited by first lady Melania Trump. She invited “everyday Americans” to the address, according to the White House, including an American who was recently released from a Russian prison and the family of one of Mr. Trump’s supporters who was killed in an assassination attempt on the president.
Marc Fogel, a schoolteacher from Pennsylvania who was released from a Russian prison in February as part of a prisoner swap negotiated by the Trump administration, was there along with his mother, who met with Mr. Trump about his case last summer.
The family of Corey Comperatore, a volunteer fire chief killed at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally where Mr. Trump was shot in an assassination attempt, were also among the guests.
Stephanie Diller, the widow of slain New York Police Department officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in 2024 during a routine traffic stop in Queens, was also be in attendance. Mr. Trump attended his wake on Long Island in 2024.
These guests were first reported by the New York Post.
Who else was invited to attend Trump’s address?
President Trump singled out a number of invited guests during his speech to highlight their stories and his administration’s policy priorities.
The mother and sister of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student murdered by a man in the country illegally, attended the address and were mentioned by Mr. Trump in his speech. Mr. Trump last month signed the Laken Riley Act, a bipartisan bill that expanded the federal government’s ability to detain people in the country illegally.
Another guest was Alexis Nungaray, a Texas woman whose 12-year-old daughter was murdered in 2024. Charged in her daughter’s death are two Venezuelan nationals who were released by immigration authorities before and since her death, Nungaray has joined Mr. Trump at several campaign events.
Immigration is a cornerstone of Mr. Trump’s agenda as his administration has launched a massive deportation initiative — and it was a key theme in the speech.
A guest seated by the first lady, 15-year-old Elliston Berry, was the victim of computer-generated deepfakes created by a bully at her school. On Monday, Melania Trump joined an event on Capitol Hill to throw her support behind a bill sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz to bolster safety against deepfakes.
Another guest, January Littlejohn, of Tallahassee, Florida, sued her daughter’s middle school over asking her daughter what bathroom she wanted to use, which the White House said was “without January and her husband’s knowledge or permission.” Mr. Trump has already signed an executive order restricting access to gender-affirming care for minors, although transgender youth have sued to block the order.
The White House invited Payton McNabb, a North Carolina teen, who was injured after a collision with a transgender athlete during a volleyball game. Mr. Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender women from women’s sports, and McNabb was recently invited by the White House to attend a briefing on women’s sports.
Other guests included Jeff Denard, a Decatur, Alabama, steelworker; Haley Ferguson, a Tennessee woman who received a Fostering the Future scholarship, which was launched by the first lady’s Be Best initiative; and Roberto Ortiz, a Border Patrol agent in Texas who the White House said has been shot at by cartel members.
Several Democrats announced Monday that they would be bringing fired federal workers to the speech as a statement against the Trump administration’s slashing of the government workforce.
Jennifer Jacobs and Fin Gómez contributed to this report.
Caroline LintonCaroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork.
