First Lady Melania Trump Invites Everyday Americans as Special Guests to Joint Session of Congress
TLDR
This press release highlights Trump administration priorities through strategic guest selection for his joint session address. Attendees represent border security (families of victims, Border Patrol), law enforcement (widow of NYPD officer, family of firefighter), conservative social issues (parents’ rights advocate, athlete injured by transgender competitor), foreign policy wins (released Russian hostage), and economic priorities (steelworker, scholarship recipient, AI deepfake victim). Their stories personalize policy positions while contrasting with the previous administration.
This press release reveals strategic political messaging through the selection of guests for Trump’s joint session address. The attendees were chosen to highlight specific policy priorities and narratives that support the administration’s agenda.
The guests fall into several strategic categories:
Border security and immigration:
- Alexis Nungaray, mother of a child allegedly murdered by illegal immigrants
- Allyson and Lauren Phillips, family of Laken Riley, whose murder led to legislation
- Roberto Ortiz, a Border Patrol agent who has faced cartel violence
These guests reinforce Trump’s immigration policies by personalizing the consequences of what the administration characterizes as the previous administration’s “reckless open border policies”.
Law enforcement and crime:
- Stephanie Diller, widow of an NYPD officer killed on duty
- The Comperatore Family, relatives of a firefighter killed during the assassination attempt on Trump
These attendees highlight the administration’s focus on law and order, supporting the “Make America Safe Again” priority mentioned in official communications.
Social issues and culture wars:
- January Littlejohn, a parents’ rights advocate fighting against school gender policies
- Payton McNabb, an athlete injured by a transgender competitor
These guests align with Trump’s executive actions to “establish male and female as biological reality and protect women from radical gender ideology”.
Foreign policy achievements:
- Marc and Malphine Fogel, with Marc being a recently released American hostage from Russia
This showcases Trump’s diplomatic approach and fulfillment of campaign promises regarding Americans detained abroad.
Additional policy areas:
- Jeff Denard, a steelworker (supporting economic and trade policies)
- Haley Ferguson, scholarship recipient (connecting to First Lady’s initiatives)
- Elliston Berry, victim of AI deepfakes (relating to the administration’s AI policy focus)
The press release frames these stories as evidence of “disaster wrought by the previous administration” while highlighting “historic achievements” of the current administration, creating a narrative that reinforces Trump’s policy agenda across multiple fronts while personalizing policy issues through emotional stories.
Meet the special people who will join the First Lady and President Trump at the U.S. Capitol when President Trump delivers his address to a joint session of Congress.
These men, women, and families come from all different walks of life with incredible stories about the disaster wrought by the previous administration, and the historic achievements President Trump has already enacted to usher in the Golden Age of America.
Elliston Berry from Aledo, TX: Elliston is a 15-year-old who was the victim of computer-generated deepfakes created by a bully at her school intended to humiliate and degrade Elliston and her friends.
The Comperatore Family from Sarver, PA: Helen, Allyson, and Kaylee are the widow and daughters of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed by the gunman who also shot President Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July 2024.
Jeff Denard from Decatur, AL: Jeff has spent nearly three decades working at a steel plant owned by Nucor Steel. His good paying, middle class job at the steel plant has allowed Jeff to serve as volunteer firefighter, provide a loving home to dozens of foster children, and organize his fellow steelworkers to respond to natural disasters, including Hurricane Helene.
Stephanie Diller from Long Island, NY: Stephanie is the widow of Jonathan Diller, an NYPD officer who was murdered at a traffic stop in Queens in March 2024 by a repeat criminal who was allowed to roam the streets.
Haley Ferguson from Spring Hill, TN: Haley is a former foster child, a senior at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in Elementary Education, and a Fostering the Future scholarship recipient, which was launched by the First Lady’s organization, Be Best.
Marc and Malphine Fogel from Butler, PA: Marc is an American history teacher who was held hostage by the Russian government and wrongfully sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison. On February 12th, President Trump fulfilled his promise to Malphine, Marc’s 95-year-old mother, that he would bring Marc home.
January Littlejohn from Tallahassee, FL: January is a mother and parents’ rights advocate who sued the School Board of Leon County after school officials at her daughter’s middle school socially transitioned her daughter to a different sexual identity without January and her husband’s knowledge or permission. The school drove a wedge between January’s daughter and her parents, and deceived January about their covert plan to transition her daughter.
Payton McNabb from Murphy, NC: Payton is a former high school athlete who had her dreams of competing in college sports crushed in a September 2022 volleyball match when a biological man playing on the opposing women’s team spiked the volleyball at Payton’s face, leaving her with a traumatic brain injury. Payton joined with the Independent Women’s Forum and has made it her mission to put an end to this brutal unfairness.
Allyson and Lauren Phillips from Woodstock, GA: Allyson and Lauren are the mother and sister of Laken Riley, a young female nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien during a morning jog. The Biden administration apprehended and released Laken’s murderer into the country under its reckless open border policies. The very first bill President Trump signed into law this year was named in Laken’s honor.
Alexis Nungaray from Houston, TX: Alexis is an angel mom and the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was murdered by two illegal aliens during a walk to a corner store. The Biden administration apprehended and released these vicious illegal aliens into the country just weeks before Jocelyn’s murder.
Roberto Ortiz from Weslaco, TX: Roberto has served with U.S. Border Patrol for nearly a decade, and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and California State Guard. He has been shot at repeatedly by cartel members while performing his duties near the Rio Grande River in Texas.