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.”
“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.”