Who’s on tonight’s State of the Union visitor record? : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fad%2F23%2Fccd85a934fbda44bee41a794a402%2Fgettyimages-2261490350.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fad%2F23%2Fccd85a934fbda44bee41a794a402%2Fgettyimages-2261490350.jpg" class="img" alt="President Trump speaks during a visit to the Fort Bragg U.S. Army base earlier this month in Fort Bragg, N.C." fetchpriority="high"/> President Trump is seen throughout a go to to the Fort Bragg U.S. Military base earlier this month in Fort Bragg, N.C. Nathan Howard/Getty Photographs cover caption

toggle caption

Nathan Howard/Getty Photographs President Trump's friends for his State of the Union deal with on Tuesday evening embody a Virginia teen on the heart of a authorized case involving parental rights and education, the U.S. males's hockey group and Erika Kirk, the widow of activist Charlie Kirk.

Whereas the White Home saved Trump's full visitor record underneath wraps for now, presidents historically lengthen invitations to individuals who align with points they help. First girl Melania Trump has picked her personal attendees to focus on her platforms on AI schooling and foster care.

Republican Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has invited the daughter of a Uyghur physician who went lacking in 2018. A number of Democratic lawmakers are bringing survivors of alleged sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein.

Historically, lawmakers from each side of the aisle attend the deal with. Nevertheless, this yr at the very least 5 Democratic senators and 14 members of the Home are selecting to skip over their opposition to Trump's agenda, and planning to attend an alternate occasion staged by MoveOn.org referred to as "The Folks's State of the Union."

This is who will, and will not, be there.

Who's coming Amongst Trump's friends is Saige Blair. Blair is on the heart of a lawsuit involving allegations that Virginia faculty officers made selections about Blair's well-being and gender identification with out informing the then-14-year-old's mother and father. Erika Kirk shall be there. She's the widow of Charlie Kirk and the brand new CEO and board chair of Turning Level USA, her late husband's right-wing youth group. White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned that, with Kirk within the chamber, Trump "will name on Congress to 'firmly reject political violence in opposition to our fellow residents.'" Kirk was named to succeed her husband as CEO after he was assassinated in September.First girl Melania Trump is bringing Sierra Burns, a participant within the Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence Program, and Everest Nevraumont, a 10-year-old public speaker and advocate of synthetic intelligence schooling. "Sierra and Everest embody my ongoing mission to uplift America's foster youth and broaden alternative for our subsequent era by means of schooling and know-how," the primary girl mentioned. Home Speaker Mike Johnson is bringing Ziba Murat. Murat is the daughter of Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical physician who went lacking in China in 2018, after her sister criticized the Chinese language authorities's therapy of Uyghur folks, the USA Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom says.The U.S. males's hockey group, which introduced dwelling the gold medal after defeating Canada at this yr's Winter Olympics, is predicted to attend, Home Speaker Johnson instructed CBS Information.Democratic California Rep. Mark Takano shall be attending with George Retes. Retes is a U.S. citizen who was on his solution to work in Ventura, Calif., in July, when he mentioned federal immigration brokers pepper sprayed him, pulled him out of his automotive and detained him for 3 days with no rationalization and no judicial listening to.Republican Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota is bringing conservative Youtuber Nick Shirley, in line with The Minnesota Star Tribune. "Nick performed a big position in displaying the nation the disaster degree of fraud and corruption taking place in our personal state authorities that is price taxpayers $9 billion," Stauber mentioned on X. Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia has invited the brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the seen victims of abuse by late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Different Epstein survivors had been additionally invited: Jess Michaels was invited by Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., invited Haley Robson.

Who's not coming The U.S. girls's Olympic hockey group, additionally recent off its Olympic gold-medal win, has reportedly declined President Trump's invitation resulting from scheduling conflicts. "We're sincerely grateful for the invitation … and deeply admire the popularity of their extraordinary achievement," a USA Hockey spokesperson mentioned, in line with NBC Information. Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, mentioned he will not be on the State of the Union. His title seems on the flier for The Folks's State of the Union. "Trump is marching America in direction of fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Structure & democracy," he mentioned final week.Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts mentioned in a press release he is additionally going to the choice occasion. Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California mentioned in a video that, for the primary time, he is not attending the State of the Union. He mentioned he'll be outdoors the Capitol at The Folks's State of the Union. "I cannot give him the viewers he craves for the lies that he tells," he mentioned. Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts mentioned she's lacking the normal deal with to attend the choice occasion as a result of she refuses "to sit down and take heed to that man spew lies and hate."Different politicians anticipated to attend The Folks's State of the Union embody Sens. Ruben Gallego, Tina Smith and Jeff Merkley; in addition to Home Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Greg Casar, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Maxwell Frost, Robert Garcia, Jim Himes, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, John Larson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Summer time Lee, Chellie Pingree, Emily Randall, Mary Homosexual Scanlon, Delia Ramirez and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in line with the occasion's organizers. <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3899x3899+975+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F66%2F8a%2Fd756e7fa48a5b530531975c408f4%2Fgettyimages-2203349290.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3899x3899+975+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F66%2F8a%2Fd756e7fa48a5b530531975c408f4%2Fgettyimages-2203349290.jpg" data-format="jpeg" class="img lazyOnLoad" alt="President Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025." loading="lazy"/>