As U.S. President Joe Biden prepares to deliver his annual State of the Union address, attention turns to the carefully selected guests who will join him and the members of Congress in the House chamber. These guests often represent various political causes and issues that the president aims to highlight during his speech.
Among the notable invitees this year are individuals whose lives have been affected by issues such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or abortion restrictions, family members of high-profile prisoners abroad, union leaders, and civil rights activists:
Elizabeth Carr: Notably, the first baby born from in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the United States, Carr, aged 42, will attend as the guest of Virginia’s Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.
Kate Cox: Cox, a woman from the Dallas area, will be present as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden. She gained attention for her legal battle for the right to terminate a nonviable pregnancy after Texas passed a restrictive abortion law.
Shawn Fain: President of the United Auto Workers union from Detroit, Fain led a successful strike last year to advocate for worker pay and benefits. He was invited by the First Lady following President Biden’s visit to the strike picket line, making him the first U.S. president to do so.
Bettie Mae Fikes: A civil rights activist and singer known as a “Bloody Sunday Foot Soldier” from the 1965 attack on civil rights activists in Selma, Alabama, Fikes will attend as a guest of the First Lady.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: Kristersson, instrumental in Sweden’s efforts to join the NATO alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will be present as a guest of the First Lady.
Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich: The parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, currently detained in a Moscow prison, are invited as guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana.
Orna and Daniel Neutra: The mother and brother of American hostage Omer Neutra, held by Hamas since attacks on Israel in October, will attend as guests of Democratic Rep. Mike Lawler and the House Speaker.
Gabriel Shipton: Shipton, brother of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who faces extradition by the U.S. for publishing classified documents, will be the guest of Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie.
As the nation anticipates President Biden’s address, the presence of these guests serves as a reminder of the diverse issues and challenges facing the country today.
