Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) on Monday declared that the well-known YouTuber Nick Shirley will accompany him as his guest to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address (SOTU) on February 24.
Nick Shirley is the YouTuber who gained widespread attention in December for documenting his tour of the Minneapolis area, during which he visited child care centers suspected of potential fraud.
Nick Shirley and David Hoch will attend SOTU: Who are they?
In addition, Stauber will be joined by David Hoch, another independent investigative journalist whom Stauber credits with bringing national focus to the alleged fraud occurring in Minnesota.
“Nick Shirley and David Hoch did the state of Minnesota a tremendous service by highlighting just how much fraud was allowed to occur under Tim Walz and Keith Ellison’s watch,” stated Congressman Pete Stauber.
“By revealing stunning levels of obvious fraud to the American people, Nick and David did more work and showed more transparency than the Minnesota Department of Human Services. It is deeply concerning that private citizens, and not the Walz Administration, were the ones to reveal the true extent of the problem. Exposing the fraud, however, is only the first step. Minnesotans now want to see full accountability. Until then, faith in these institutions will not be restored. It’s tradition for lawmakers to bring a guest who they feel made a great impact in issues important to them,” Stauber said.
Who is Nick Shirley? A conservative content creator
Shirley, a conservative content creator, along with Hoch, gained significant attention on YouTube in late December 2025 for a video addressing day care fraud in Minnesota.
In the viral video, Shirley alleged that day cares operated by Somalis were exaggerating their enrollment figures to receive additional funding from the state. However, some of his assertions have been debunked, while others were already the subject of ongoing investigations. Fraud has been scrutinized in Minnesota for several years.
Shirley’s video emerged during Trump’s persistent criticisms of the Somali community in Minnesota, as he intensified his immigration enforcement initiatives in Minneapolis. This led to a deployment of approximately 3,000 federal immigration enforcement agents to Minnesota for Operation Metro Surge, which commenced on December 1, 2025, resulting in two tragic shootings by federal agents, claiming the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.
Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union Address to Congress on Tuesday evening. The event is planned to commence at 8 p.m.