CV NEWS FEED // President Donald Trump honored several Americans and their families for their heroism in his March 4 joint address to Congress.
Here are five poignant moments from the address, in chronological order:
The President honored the family of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered on campus by an illegal immigrant.
“Laken was stolen from us by a savage illegal alien gang member who was arrested while trespassing across Biden’s open southern border, and then set loose into the United States under the heartless policies of that failed administration,” Trump said.
Laken’s mother, Allyson Phillips, and sister, Lauren, were present at the address.
“Last year I told Laken’s grieving parents that we would ensure their daughter would not have died in vain,” Trump continued. “That’s why the very first bill I signed into law as your 47th president mandates the detention of all dangerous criminal aliens who threaten public safety.”
That act is the Laken Riley Act. Trump stated, “So, Allyson and Lauren, America will never ever forget our beautiful Laken Hope Riley.”
Trump honored the legacy of Jocelyn Nungary, a 12-year-old who was kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered on June 17, 2024, by Venezuelan gang members who were illegally staying in Texas.
Trump addressed Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis, during his speech.
“Alexis, I promised that we would always remember your daughter, your magnificent daughter, and earlier tonight I signed an order keeping my word to you,” he said. “One thing I have learned about Jocelyn is that she loved animals so much, she loved nature.”
In his order, he renamed Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, which is near Jocelyn’s hometown, the “Jocelyn Nungaray National Refuge.”
Trump noted that the men involved in Nungary’s and Riley’s murders were members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua. He officially designated this gang, along with MS-13 and several Mexican drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations, in the same category as ISIS.
Trump also honored Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor who was given just five months to live when he was first diagnosed in 2018. He has always wanted to be a police officer and has been sworn in as an honorary member of police forces across the nation.
“Tonight, DJ, we’re going to do you the biggest honor of them all,” Trump announced, “I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service.”
Curran presented Daniel with his badge, and Daniel’s father Theodis lifted him up to show the badge to the cheering crowd. Curran and Daniel exchanged a hug after he received the badge.
Trump announced to high-school senior Jason Hartley that he was accepted into the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. Hartley’s father, who passed away in 2018, was a Los Angeles country deputy and a military veteran. Hartley’s grandfather and great-grandfather were also veterans.
Hartley hugged his mother after the announcement, who was wiping away her tears, and Daniel, who had just become an honorary Secret Service agent, walked over to give him a high five.
Trump also honored the family of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who shielded his wife, Helen, and daughters, Allyson and Kaylee, from bullets shot into the crowd of Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. The family members whom he died protecting were present at the address.
“Corey Comperatore was a firefighter, a veteran, a Christian, a husband, a devoted father, and above all, a protector,” the President said.