Jill Biden's State of the Union guests include the Ukrainian ambassador and the Facebook whistleblower
Michael Reynolds/AFP/Pool via Getty Images
- Jill Biden will have guests for tonight's State of the Union and they include some notable names.
- Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the US, and Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower will be in attendance.
- The tradition of having guests at the State of the Union began will President Reagan.
First Lady Jill Biden's State of the Union guests will include Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the US, and Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower, whose revelations about the social network sparked international fervor about the company.
Markarova's attendance comes as the US and Western nations levy historically harsh sanctions on Russia following its invasion into Ukraine.
Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, came forward last year as the main source behind the Wall Street Journal's series of exposés about Facebook's practices. She later testified before Congress about how the company knew it was causing mental harm to young users on products like Instagram but refused to take action. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who now leads the renamed Meta, responded to Haugen's claims with a 1,300-word post that defended the company's practices.
The White House's formal announcement about Biden's guests marks the return of a State of the Union tradition that began with President Ronald Reagan. Tuesday night is Biden's first State of the Union address, but attendance was limited during his January 2021 joint address to Congress due to the coronavirus pandemic. Members of Congress, who traditionally can bring guests as well, are prohibited from doing so due to the Capitol's pandemic restrictions.
Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger, whose company recently announced plans to build a $20 billion factory in Ohio, will also be in attendance.
The first lady's guests often hint at the content of the closely watched speech and presidents typically note their guests' presence in the address itself. President Donald Trump took this tradition to a new level when he awarded controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh a Presidential Medal of Freedom during his 2020 State of the Union.
Biden's other guests include Joseph "JoJo" Burgess, a union steelworker from Pennslyvania, who recently introduced Biden at an infrastructure event in Pittsburgh. It makes sense that the White House would choose a guest that will allow Biden to further talk about the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law, a key non-pandemic related domestic achievement that comes as much of the president's other agenda has stalled.
Other guests include Joshua Davis, a 7th grader from Virginia who has raised awareness about Type 1 diabetes; Refynd Duro, an Ohio nurse who has treated COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began; Melissa Isaac, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe; Danielle Robinson, an Ohio woman whose husband Heath died after being exposed to burn pits; and Kezia Rodriguez, a New Jersey resident and mom who attends Bergen Community College.
Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, and Valerie Biden Owens will also join the first lady in her box to watch the address.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/o8mzyQu
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