President Donald Trump will host American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who was recently freed from a Russian prison, at his Joint Address to Congress tonight.
The president will speak to lawmakers Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET from the House chamber. His speech, “Renewal of the American Dream,” is expected to address the accomplishments of his 43 days in office so far and his plans for the rest of his term.
One of Trump’s accomplishments was securing the release of the 63-year-old Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison for possessing medical marijuana prescribed by an American doctor in 2021. An employee of the Anglo-American School of Moscow, Fogel spent 27 years teaching the children of diplomats overseas, and was planning to retire the year he was arrested. The State Department designated Fogel as “wrongfully detained” in December.
Fogel’s 95-year-old mother, Malphine Fogel, will also be a guest of Trump’s during the address. Trump first met Malphine at his July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he told her he would do everything he could to free her son if elected. She was scheduled to appear on stage with Trump until a would-be assassin fired at him. Fogel was standing about 25 feet away from Trump when the shots rang out.
Upon landing in the United States following his release last month, Fogel kissed the ground and was then welcomed to the White House where he said he felt like the “luckiest man on earth right now.”
Meet the special people who will join the First Lady and President Trump at the U.S. Capitol when President Trump delivers his address to a joint session of Congress.
These men, women, and families come from all different walks of life with incredible stories about the disaster…
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 4, 2025
“I feel like the luckiest man on earth right now,” Fogel said alongside Trump. “I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all and President Trump is a hero. These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes. The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor to get me home are heroes. I am in awe of what they all did.”
Fogel also praised Malphine, calling her “the most dynamic 95-year-old on earth right now.”
Trump spoke about his meeting with Malphine at the rally, stating that she made “quite an impression.”
“When I saw the mother at a rally, she said, ‘If you win, will you get my son out?’ And I promised — she’s 95-years-old — and I said, ‘We’ll get him out,’ and we got him out pretty quickly. She made quite an impression.”
The Daily Wire previously reported that Fogel fell into a depression after being left out of an August prisoner swap with Russia.
“I cannot believe this,” Marc Fogel said on a call to his family, a recording of which was obtained by The Daily Wire. “I just don’t even want to get out of bed. I am shocked and sickened and out of breath and energy.”
Fogel told his family he felt “like a second-class citizen” as the Biden administration prioritized the release of high-profile prisoners like WNBA player Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the latter of whom was included in the August swap.
“I think that teachers have just been shat upon,” Fogel said. “It’s hard to have any faith.”
Trump will also host January Littlejohn, a mother who rescued her daughter from gender ideology after school officials sought to help her young daughter socially transition. Other presidential guests include Elliston Berry, a 15-year-old who was bullied by deep fakes at her school; family members of fallen police officer Corey Comperatore, who was killed by the gunman during the Butler rally; Jeff Denard, a steel plant worker who helped respond to Hurricane Helene; Stephanie Diller, the widow of an NYPD officer murdered by a criminal at a traffic stop; and Haley Ferguson, a former foster child and recipient of First Lady Melania Trump’s Be Best Program.
