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 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.
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.
U.S. House of Representatives 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.
Johnson also noted difficulties had to be resolved to accommodate the large number of athletes, who cannot be seated on the House floor under the chamber’s rules.
A list of other White House guests was not immediately available.
WORRIED FARMERS
Farmer Doug Rebout, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Association, is an invited guest of Democratic Representative Mark Pocan, whose congressional district includes Madison, Wisconsin.
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 New York City mother of Dylan Lopez Contreras, is Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s guest. Schumer said in a statement that Dylan entered the United States legally from Venezuela and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after he attended a mandatory court hearing. Schumer, who represents the state of New York, said Dylan was the first New York City public school student reported to be detained as part of Trump’s mass clampdown on immigrants.
FAMILY OF FALLEN LOUISIANA POLICE OFFICER
Relatives of slain Louisiana police officer Marc Tyler Brock are invited by Speaker 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 and Steve Holland; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Howard Goller)
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