WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Over the past four decades, it has become a ritual for presidents, and more recently lawmakers, to invite guests to the presidential State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.
Here are some of those invited to sit in special galleries above the House of Representatives floor during President Donald Trump’s speech at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday (0200 GMT on Wednesday):
EPSTEIN ACCUSERS
Haley Robson, who has accused late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein of abuse, will be a guest of Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, the lawmaker announced. Dani Bensky, another Epstein accuser, will be the guest of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia have invited Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in 2025.
OLYMPIANS
The White House said it was trying to bring the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team to Washington in time for the speech. The team won the gold medal in Italy on Sunday against Canada.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he expected the U.S. women’s hockey team, which also won the gold medal by defeating Canada, to be invited. However, media reports said they declined because of previous commitments.
NASA ASTRONAUTS
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, the crew of NASA’s planned lunar spaceflight mission Artemis II, will be guests of Johnson. NASA is aiming to launch the four astronauts for a journey around the moon and back on March 6 in what would be the first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years.
WORRIED FARMERS
Farmer Doug Rebout, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Association, is an invited guest of Democratic Representative Mark Pocan.
Many U.S. soybean producers worry Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods have hurt American farmers, resulting in retaliation from China that has at times interrupted soybean trade and has contributed to higher prices for many consumer goods.
ICE DETAINEE
Raiza Contreras, the mother of Dylan Lopez Contreras, a Venezuelan school student allegedly detained by immigration agents, will be another guest of Schumer. The Senate Democratic leader said Dylan entered the United States legally and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after he attended a mandatory court hearing.
DAUGHTER OF IMPRISONED CHINA CRITIC
Claire Lai, daughter of imprisoned China critic and former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, will be the joint guest of Johnson and Representative Chris Smith. Lai’s 20-year imprisonment in a landmark foreign-collusion case has drawn criticism from the United States and other nations.
BROTHER OF SLAIN ISRAELI DIPLOMAT
Hanan Lischinsky, brother of slain Israeli diplomat Yaron Lischinsky, will be the guest of Johnson. Yaron and fellow diplomat Sara Milgrim were killed by a gunman last May while leaving an event at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
FAMILY OF FALLEN LOUISIANA POLICE OFFICER
Relatives of slain Louisiana police officer Marc Tyler Brock are invited by Johnson, who represents a district in and around Shreveport. Brock was shot while serving a search warrant, according to local media reports.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Steve Holland and David Morgan; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Caitlin Webber, Howard Goller and Alistair Bell)
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