Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are gearing up for one of the biggest events of the year: the annual State of the Union address, during which the sitting president reflects on the past year and highlights goals for the upcoming 12 months.
Members of Congress in both the House and Senate are permitted to bring a guest to the event while the president and first lady can invite up to 24 people to sit in the chamber. Guests chosen by the president are typically individuals “who have distinguished themselves in some field of service or endeavor,” according to the Congressional Research Service — and they are often acknowledged during the president’s remarks.
The official list of President Donald Trump’s invited guests has not yet been announced, but there are already rumors swirling about which stars may be in attendance. Last year, Trump invited business entrepreneur Elon Musk, Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire, women’s rights activist Riley Gaines, and more.
Trump invites U.S. hockey teams
Some of the most highly anticipated guests Trump has invited are the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams, who both won the gold medals in the Milan Cortina Olympic Games over Canada.
Shortly after the men’s victory, FBI Director Kash Patel was seen celebrating with the team in the locker room, where he dialed in Trump to talk to the athletes over the phone. Trump then invited the team to the State of the Union, offering to provide a military jet to expedite their travels.
While many of the athletes shouted out affirmations they would attend, the team has not yet made an official announcement if they will be there. Some athletes may have scheduling conflicts as the NHL hockey schedule resumes this week.
Trump also extended an invite to the women’s hockey team, but a spokesperson told NBC News that they will not make it “due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.” However, the spokesperson said the athletes were “sincerely grateful” for the invitation.
It’s not yet clear how the athletes will be honored during the speech. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Monday they were still figuring out the logistics of such a visit, noting that House rules prohibit the team members from being on the chamber floor. However, Johnson did say he was expecting them to attend.
“There’s no way to have special guests on the floor because it’s a literal session of Congress,” Johnson said. “But we’re going to work and do what we can to accommodate. We certainly want to have them here for the celebration. It’s quite a feat.”
Who will the Utah delegation bring?
The Utah delegation is also planning to bring some guests of their own.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, will bring a family member to the event, as will Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, who will attend with his wife Sue, the Deseret News has learned.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, is planning to attend with “a close friend and a former colleague,” a spokesperson said.
Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, will bring Kai Schwemmer, a student at Brigham Young University and field director of the Utah Federation of College Republicans. Schwemmer is known for giving conservative commentary online and has been a speaker at a number of events, including the Utah March for Life in January.
Democrats to bring Epstein victims
Despite being out of power, the minority party will often invite guests of their own to make a political statement. And this year is no different.
Some Democratic lawmakers have announced they’ll be attending the event with victims of Jeffrey Epstein, the latest pressure point in a monthslong fight to release the Justice Department’s full tranche of documents related to its investigation into the late convicted sex offender.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will bring Dani Bensky, who first encountered Epstein when she was 17 years old and a young ballerina. Bensky is now a leading advocate in the Epstein case pushing to release all the files.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced he would host Marina Lacerda, another victim of Epstein, who will be attending as an official guest of the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent advocates for Epstein survivors after being a victim herself, will also be in attendance. Giuffre died in April of last year.
Several other Democrats have invited Epstein victims to be their guests to the event. Others, however, have said they would boycott the event and participate in counterprogramming — skipping Trump’s speech altogether.
Republicans invite local leaders
Meanwhile, Republican leaders are set to bring a slate of local leaders from their districts and home states.
Johnson, R-La., who is allowed to bring multiple guests to sit in the chamber, will bring the family of Marc Tyler Brock, a police officer from Louisiana who was shot and killed in November while conducting a search warrant. The speaker will also bring Ziba Murat, the daughter of a Uyghur doctor who has been imprisoned in China for more than seven years.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., will bring the police chief of the city of Blaine as well as the board chair of the Blaine Brothers, a truck service and repair company located in Minnesota. Emmer said the pair were an example of how well Trump’s massive tax package last year has benefited businesses and law enforcement.
Family of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson
Jeffries announced on Monday he would also bring the family of civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who died last week, to the State of the Union.
At one point, Jackson was also elected as the shadow senator of Washington, D.C., a nonvoting position that exists solely to advocate for the district’s statehood. He served one term during the H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations.
Before that, Jackson ran for president twice in 1984 and 1988.