Trump Welcomes Fogel, Comperatore Family To Congressional Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump welcomed guests from the Pittsburgh area to his address to Congress Tuesday night, including Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel and family members of the former fire chief killed during the Trump assassination attempt in Butler last July.

Fogel, who had been detained in Russia since his arrest for legally prescribed marijuana possession in 2021, was released from prison last month in a prisoner exchange orchestrated by the Trump administration. He attended with his mother, Malphine, 95, who met Trump last year during his presidential campaign.

Toward the end of Trump's two-hour speech, Trump acknowledged the Fogels.

"We are delighted to have you safe and sound with us," Trump said. "I promised his 95-year-old mother that I would bring her baby boy home, and after only 22 days in office, I did just that."

Also in attendance was the family of Corey Comperatore, who was killed in the July 13 Trump assassination attempt at a rally in Butler: His widow, Helen, and his daughters Allyson and Kaylee. Comperatore died shielding them from the gunfire that took his life.

"He sacrificed his life to save theirs," Trump said. "Corey is looking down on his three beautiful ladies right now, and he is cheering you on. He loves you."

He further lauded Comperatore as “a firefighter, a veteran, a Christian, a husband, a devoted father, and above all a protector.”