Tommy Tuberville, Katie Britt, Dale Strong meet Jeff Denard, the ‘very best’ steel worker Trump highlighted in address to Congress

An Alabama steelworker who received a standing ovation during President Donald Trump’s congressional address Tuesday has met with U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt and Rep. Dale Strong, the Alabama representatives announced.

Jeff Denard, who was a guest of first lady Melania Trump when Trump addressed the joint session Tuesday, has worked as a steelworker at Nucor, a steel company in Decatur, for 25 years, serves as the captain of his local volunteer fire department, is a ranch manager with his wife, and has fostered more than 40 children.

Denard and his wife, Nicole, “exemplify the very best of Alabama, from hard work to generosity and servant leadership,” Britt said in a release Wednesday.

“Jeff’s inclusion is emblematic of the hardworking men and women the Trump Administration is fighting to protect,” she added. “I am proud to be a partner to President Trump in his efforts to onshore critical supply chains, drive up real wages for U.S. families, and usher in a new era of American prosperity.”

In his Tuesday address, Trump mentioned Denard while drumming support for his administration’s tariff policy. Nucor, headquartered in North Carolina said it is North America’s largest steel manufacturer and recycler.

“And I have also imposed a 25% tariff on foreign aluminum, copper, lumber and steel because if we don’t have, as an example, steel and lots of other things, we don’t have a military and frankly we just won’t have a country very long,” Trump said in the address.

“Stories like Jeff remind us that tariffs are not just about protesting American jobs, they are about protecting the soul of our country,” the president added.

In posts on X, formerly Twitter, Tuberville said Denard “exemplifies the American spirit and the best of Alabama,” while Strong, who represents Alabama’s 5th Congressional District, which covers Decatur where Denard resides and works, said the steelworker embodies “the very best of North Alabama.”

In a post on the White House account on X, Denard said, “The things that President Trump has done to make Nucor successful has definitely been an honor for me and my family.”