Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite
The chamber of the House of Representatives is seen at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, as it is prepared for President Donald Trump to give his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
- President Donald Trump's State of the Union guests include the wife and son of a soldier who was killed by a roadside bomb that the White House says was supplied by the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
- It was an apparent response to the critics of Trump's decision last month to authorize the drone strike that killed Soleimani.
- Trump has fielded weeks of criticism for the strike, which escalated tensions between the US and Iran and prompted a retaliatory strike on two Iraqi military bases housing US forces.
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President Donald Trump appeared to use his State of the Union guest list to respond to critics of his decision to authorize the drone strike that killed the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
Among Trump's guests will be Kelli and Gage Hake, the wife and son of Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake, who the White House says was killed by a roadside bomb supplied by Soleimani.
"Kelli and Gage directly suffered from Soleimani's campaign to kill and maim US service members," the White House said in a statement. "Last month, President Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani while he was once again trying to initiate attacks on American service members.
White House
Kelli and Gage Hake from Stillwater, Oklahoma, will be guests at Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Trump has fielded weeks of criticism for the strike on Soleimani, which escalated tensions between the US and Iran and prompted a retaliatory strike on two Iraqi military bases housing US forces.
Trump's other guests included a man whose brother was fatally shot by an unauthorized immigrant in December 2018, a family who benefited from the Trump administration's "school choice" push, a veteran building a new concrete plant, and a Border Patrol official.
Tuesday marked Trump's third State of the Union address, where he was expected to tout achievements such as the newly ratified USMCA trade deal, as well as progress on the fencing along the US-Mexico border, and national security issues.
His speech comes just one day before the Senate is set to vote on two articles of impeachment against him.
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- Trump just earned his highest approval rating ever after months of impeachment scandal that will almost certainly end in his acquittal