President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress is taking place Tuesday night and guests invited by first lady Melania Trump will be in attendance. Melania Trump has 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, and his wife, Melanie Fogel, are expected to be there.
The family of Corey Comperatore, a volunteer fire chief killed at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally where Mr. Trump was shot in an assassination attempt, will also be among the guests, the White House said in a statement.
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, will also be in attendance. Mr. Trump attended his wake on Long Island in 2024.
These guests were first reported by the New York Post.
What time is Trump’s speech and who else will be there?
Mr. Trump will speak before both chambers of Congress starting at 9 p.m. ET in what will be his first speech before lawmakers since he returned to the White House six weeks ago.
The mother and sister of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student murdered by a man in the country illegally, will be there. 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 is 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 is likely to be a key theme in the speech.
Another guest will be 15-year-old Elliston Berry, who the White House said 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.
January Littlejohn, of Tallahassee, Florida, will also be in attendance. Littlejohn 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.
Another guest will be Payton McNabb, a North Carolina teen who said she 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 include 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 instead of boycotting it, as others have suggested.
How to watch Trump’s speech
CBS News will carry the address live on TV and a primetime special will air at 9 p.m. ET.
The speech can also be streamed for free on CBS News 24/7, available on CBSNews.com, the CBS News app and Paramount+.
Jennifer Jacobs and
contributed to this report.
