House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said on Monday, Feb. 23, that the family of a slain Louisiana police officer will be among his invited guests during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
In an interview with Fox News, Johnson said he invited the mother and fiancée of Marc Tyler Brock to the State of the Union tomorrow night.
"It is my profound honor to host Shirley Brock-Dennis and Kambreigh Smith — the respective mother and fiancée of Vivian Police Officer Marc Brock — as my guests for the State of the Union address. In November, Officer Brock was tragically killed in the line of duty,” Johnson told the outlet.
Apart from Brock’s family, Johnson also invited Ziba Murat, the daughter of an Uygur doctor who has been imprisoned in China for more than seven years.
Who is Marc Tyler Brock?
Brock, who was 25 at the time of his death in November 2025, was killed while trying to serve an arrest warrant against a man who had been charged with cyberstalking in Vivian, Louisiana, some 195 miles east of Dallas, according to local outlet KLFY.
Vivan is located inside Louisiana's 4th congressional district, which Johnson represents.
According to KSLA, Brock was a lifelong resident of Vivian and began his career with the Vivian Police Department at 20 as a dispatcher. After a year, he signed on as a part-time police officer, then became a full-time officer soon after.
Who is Ziba Murat?
Murat's mother, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, has been detained in China since 2018. According to The Hill, Murat has said her mother was detained in retaliation for her aunt's activism against China's treatment of Uyghurs.
“As we continue to shine an international light upon China’s human rights abuses and call for the release of all those unjustly detained, it is my honor to invite Dr. Abbas’ daughter – Ziba Murat – as my guest at President Trump’s State of the Union Address," Johnson said.
What time is the State of the Union?
Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union address at 9 p.m. ET.
How to stream the State of the Union
USA TODAY will stream coverage of the State of the Union on Tuesday night.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
