As President Trump surveys his audience at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday night, he’ll see some friends in the gallery — but also plenty of opponents, including people victimized by Jeffrey Epstein, a business owner slammed by his tariffs and immigrants who say he’s ruining their lives.
They’re guests of Democrats, or at least those who plan to show up for Mr. Trump’s State of the Union address. Lawmakers said they want to force Mr. Trump to confront some of those who are losing out from the MAGA agenda.
The most in-your-face of the guests are victims of Epstein, the deceased sex offender who continues to haunt American politics with the revelation of millions of pages of legal files exposing sordid behavior and the wealthy and powerful who associated with him.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, gave one of his guest tickets to Dani Bensky, who says Epstein pressured her into sex by threatening to scuttle treatments for her mother’s brain tumor.
“My survivor sisters and I have been fighting for transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, Donald Trump calls us a hoax, the laws of the Transparency Act have been broken, and we have had personal identifying information exposed. Trump and his DOJ continue to cover up and protect perpetrators,” she said in a statement that Mr. Schumer released.
Mr. Schumer is also bringing Raiza Contreras, whose son Dylan Lopez Contreras entered the U.S. in 2024 without a visa, but came under a special catch-and-release exception to the regular immigration system developed by the Biden administration.
SEE ALSO: Trump impeachment: The issue Democrats can’t quite pick up — or put down
He was arrested last year by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an appearance in immigration court and has been in immigration detention more than eight months as he fights to block his deportation with an asylum claim.
His efforts to win release have been fruitless so far.
“No mother should have to go through what Raiza is experiencing right now – being unjustly separated from her son,” Mr. Schumer said. “We must rein in ICE. The lawlessness, the violence, the chaos must end.”
Republicans will counter with their own guests on immigration.
Shown is the U.S. Capitol in …
more >
Rep. Randy Feenstra, Iowa Republican, will host Scott Root, father of Sarah Root, a 21-year-old killed by an illegal immigrant who was street racing while driving drunk in 2016.
The migrant, Eswin Mejia, was released on bail from local charges and ICE — under the Obama administration at that time — didn’t pick him up, giving him a chance to flee to his native Honduras where he remained free until Trump administration authorities tracked him down last year.
He was convicted and sentenced earlier this month to two decades in prison.
Last year Mr. Trump signed a bill that included Sarah’s Law, in honor of Root, that requires ICE to detain illegal immigrants accused of crimes that caused a death.
“Nothing can bring Sarah back, but knowing that justice has finally been delivered and future illegal criminals won’t be able to do what happened to my daughter gives me hope,” Mr. Root said in a statement announcing his attendance Tuesday.
Other announced guests of lawmakers include:
– Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, who got his ticket from Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican.
– Jess Michaels and Marina Lacerda, victimized by Epstein.
– The family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who passed away last week. They will be guests of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
– Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Learning Resources, the company that battled over Mr. Trump’s tariffs all the way to the Supreme Court, where the justices last week sided with him and ruled the administration was violating the law.
– Claire Lai, daughter of jailed Hong Kong democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, will attend as a guest of House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, both Republicans.
– The planned crew of the upcoming Artemis II mission to the moon, who will be guests of Mr. Johnson.
Democrats are also bringing business owners, labor union members and others who they say have suffered under the Trump economy.
Mr. Trump, in his previous addresses to Congress, has been masterful in his use of guests, honoring everyone from astronaut Buzz Aldrin, to radio show host Rush Limbaugh, to 100-year-old Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee, whom Mr. Trump promoted to brigadier general.
The practice of highlighting State of the Union guests dates back to President Reagan, who invited Lenny Skutnik, whose heroism was honored for helping survivors of the Air Florida plane crash into the Potomac River in 1982.
Over the ensuing decades the guests became more politically charged, and members of Congress decided to counter presidents with their own guests.
