First lady Jill Biden's guests for the State of the Union (SOTU) address on Thursday night include an Alabama woman who is seeking in vitro fertilization (IVF), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain.
President Biden will deliver his last SOTU address before voters cast their ballots in the general election come November. The first lady's choice of guests for her viewing box provides a glimpse into several issues Biden may focus on in his remarks: wider abortion access, immigration, foreign affairs, support for union workers and stricter gun control, to name a few.
"Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people. The Second Gentleman, Mr. Douglas Emhoff, will also join the First Lady in the viewing box," her office said in a statement.
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Latorya Beasley, a mother from Alabama, was seeking to expand her family through IVF "when her embryo transfer was abruptly canceled as a result of the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision," according to the White House.
Kate Cox, a Texas mother of two, will also be in attendance. Cox fought in a high profile legal battle with the Lone Star state after being denied abortion access. She subsequently crossed state lines to get the procedure done.
Maria Shriver, an abortion advocate and journalist, is another guest of the first lady. She helped develop the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research and is the cousin of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
President Biden is also likely to discuss crises abroad, focusing on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The first lady will host Shelby Nikitin, a U.S. Navy officer who protected the Navy's maritime shipping vessel from threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, earning her the Bronze Star.
Several lawmakers will host the families of victims still held hostage by Hamas terrorists.
Sweden will officially become the 32nd NATO ally on Thursday. To mark the occasion, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will be another guest in the first lady's viewing box.
"Sweden is a strong democracy with a highly capable military that shares our values and vision for the world. Having Sweden as a NATO Ally will make the United States and our Allies even safer," the White House wrote.
Biden has repeatedly touted himself as the most pro-union president in recent history. The first lady will also host United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain alongside UAW Local 126 member Dawn Simms. Simms worked at an auto plant in Belvidere, Illinois, when it closed. It reopened in February 2023 after Fain helped negotiate the UAW-Big Three contract. Simms joined Biden to mark the plant's reopening.
Biden has called on Congress to do more to curtail gun violence, even after the passage of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention program. Another guest of Jill Biden, Jazmin Cazares, is likely to highlight this. Cazares, a resident of Uvalde, Texas, began advocacy for stricter gun control after her sister was killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in May 2022.
A statement from the White House reads: "Cazares spent her senior year of high school traveling across the country and sharing Jackie’s story. She spoke alongside March for Our Lives leaders at the Texas State Capitol and testified before lawmakers to advocate for tighter background checks and extreme risk protection order laws."
