For more than 40 years it has been customary for presidents - and more recently congressional leaders - to bring guests to the joint session of Congress for the State of the Union. Those invited to occupy the special galleries above the House floor for President Donald Trump’s address at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday (0200 GMT on Wednesday) include a mix of survivors, family members, athletes and community figures selected by members of Congress.
Epstein accusers and relatives
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California announced that Haley Robson, who has accused the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein of abuse, will be his guest for the speech. In addition, Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia extended invitations to Sky and Amanda Roberts, who are the brother and sister-in-law of victim Virginia Giuffre. Raskin and Subramanyam noted that Giuffre died by suicide in 2025.
Olympians
The White House said it was attempting to bring the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team to Washington in time for the address. The team captured the gold medal in Italy on Sunday by defeating Canada. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he expected the U.S. women’s hockey team - which also secured a gold medal by defeating Canada - to be invited as well. Media reports, however, indicated the women’s team declined the invitation because of prior commitments.
Speaker Johnson also observed that logistical obstacles remain in accommodating a large contingent of athletes, citing House chamber rules that prevent seating athletes on the House floor. A list of additional White House guests was not immediately available.
Worried farmers
Doug Rebout, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Association, will attend as a guest of Democratic Representative Mark Pocan, whose district includes Madison, Wisconsin. Many soybean growers in the United States have expressed concern that President Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods have harmed American farmers. Those tariffs have triggered retaliatory measures from China that have at times disrupted soybean trade and contributed to higher prices for a range of consumer goods.
ICE detainee
Raiza Contreras, the New York City mother of Dylan Lopez Contreras, was invited by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer said in a statement that Dylan entered the United States legally from Venezuela and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he attended a mandatory court hearing. Schumer, who represents New York, said Dylan was the first New York City public school student reported to have been detained in what Schumer described as part of the administration’s broad clampdown on immigrants.
Family of slain Louisiana officer
Speaker Johnson invited relatives of Marc Tyler Brock, a Louisiana police officer who was fatally shot while serving a search warrant, according to local media reports. The family will attend the State of the Union as his guests.
These invitations reflect a range of issues and constituencies that members of Congress and the White House have chosen to highlight during the State of the Union. Organizers said some logistical and procedural hurdles remain in seating and accommodating certain guests, and additional names from the White House had not been provided at the time of these announcements.