General
A steel plant employee and volunteer firefighter from Decatur is one of 15 special guests invited by First Lady Melania Trump to President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress tonight.
Jeff Denard has worked almost three decades for a 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,” the White House said in a press release.
The president’s speech comes as Trump moves quickly to implement policies he promised during the campaign, including tariffs and changes in the nation’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
Here are the other special guests for the president’s speech, with the White House summaries of why they were invited:
Elliston Berry from Aledo, Texas: 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.
Stephanie Diller from Long Island, N.Y.: 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, Tenn: 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, Fla.: 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.
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.
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 during a morning job by an illegal alien who had been arrested multiple times and released. The first bill Trump signed into law this year was named in Laken’s honor.
Alexis Nungaray from Houston, Texas: Alexis is the mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was murdered during a walk to a corner store. The suspects in the killing are illegal immigrants from Venezuela who were apprehended and released just weeks before Jocelyn’s murder.
Roberto Ortiz from Weslaco, Texas: 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.
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