President Donald Trump invited the widow of fallen Navy SEAL Ryan Owens to attend his speech to Congress during his January 30 condolence call, the White House says.

Carryn Owens did not say yes immediately but indicated during the call that she was receptive. Owens eventually said yes - and she gave the president permission to point her out.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said she was left off the list of guests because 'this was a very raw and emotional time for her.'

'We worked with her to decide what would be in her best interests, and her family's best interests at this time.'

Yesterday, she and her three young children came to meet Trump at the White House before his remarks, Spicer revealed.

'They had an an opportunity to eat at the Navy mess, had lunch,' Spicer said. 'The president, you know, got to see them, and they got a tour of the White House.'

President Donald Trump speaks to the widow of fallen Navy SEAL Ryan Owens after his speech to Congress. The White House says he invited her during his January 30 condolence call

Carryn Owens, the widow of fallen Navy Seal Ryan Owens, wept as she rose to her feet while the president eulogized her husband during his congressional address. She was a guest of the president along with her parents (from left) Jerry and Carrie Weigand, and had a seat next to Ivanka Trump

Tears in heaven: Mrs Owens looked to the sky as the president praised her husband, the SEAL operator who died in a raid ordered by the president on al Qaeda in Yemen

On their feet: President Trump turned to applaud Carryn Owens and was joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Paul Ryan

Owens and her parents also visited with the president and first lady after his remarks about her husband last night during a joint session of Congress.

Trump briefly broke through the deep animosity in Congress when he invoked the heroism of Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief Owens, and Carryn, his grieving widow looked toward the heavens.

True American hero: Chief Owens was remembered by the president for his sacrifice. 'Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero –- battling against terrorism and securing our Nation'

Trump brought up Owens, who died in a firefight in Yemen, after saying 'none are greater or braver than those who fight for America in uniform.'

Lawmakers from both parties stood and clapped for more than a minute during the emotional moment.

'Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero - battling against terrorism and securing our Nation,' Trump said.

Ivanka Trump reached over to pat Mrs. Owens' shoulder. The two had previously met when the first daughter attended the repatriation of Chief Owens' body with President Trump at Dover Base in Delaware.

'Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity,' Trump said.

'For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom –- we will never forget Ryan.

As Trump the fallen soldier, his widow stood and clasped her hands, looking toward the ceiling of the ornate chamber where lawmakers of both parties gathered to hear the controversial president.

She took deep breaths to compose herself as the applause continued.

When it was done, Trump lightened the mood. 'I think he's very happy now because I think he just broke a record,' Trump said, in reference to the applause.

Ryan Owens' father, Bill, declined to meet with Trump during the dignified transfer of his son's remains at Dover.

'I'm sorry, I don't want to see him,' Owens said he proclaimed when he learned Trump was attending the ceremony.

The White House did not dive too deeply into the details of the president's conversations with Carryn Owens.

Spokesman Sean Spicer said the president told her the day before they met at Dover that he was giving a speech to Congress and said, 'If you would feel comfortable, I'd love to have you as a guest.'

'He asked if she'd like to bring the kids at that time,' Spicer added. 'It was obviously a very raw and emotional time for her. And she said that she appreciated the invitation, she would love to take him up on it, and would get back to us.'

Some Democrats criticized Trump afterward for using Mrs. Owens as a prop.

Filmmaker Michael Moore said she was there 'as a sort of a f you to the people who are criticizing' the raid in Yemen her husband died in.

'And this poor woman, this widow, who has lost her husband. She is in desperate grief right now,' Moore said on MSNBC.

He accused Trump of using Mrs. Owens to 'put another notch on his belt.'

'What’s he thinking about? My ratings. Record applause. I’m going to get an Emmy for this, most applause for a dead soldier on my watch. I mean, this is the sickness of this man.'

Responding to the criticism on Wednesday, Spicer said it was the White House's goal 'to make sure that we respected her wishes and her privacy, and again, even with referencing her in the speech, that was her decision.

'We asked her, the president would like to raise this, and she said, "I'd like that."

'And so, that was coordinated with her, in terms of how public she wanted to be, and how acknowledged she wanted her an Ryan to be as well.'

He also noted, 'It was she who accepted the invitation.'

'I think she has a right to honor the legacy, the sacrifice of her husband,' Spicer said.

The White House spokesman brought up the sustained applause she received, saying he had never seen anything like it in a State of the Union or joint address.

'I think that you can say what you want about a lot of the policies, but I hope to god that everybody in American could literally say that that's the country that we live in, that you honor and support not just Ryan's sacrifice, but her, what she's gonna go through, what those children are gonna go through.'

All eyes on her: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were transfixed by the widow as she looked toward the sky in tribute to her husband

Continuing, he said, 'If that's the criticism that people have, they have a right to...but I would also suggest that we have a right to honor people who have served this nation, and the sacrifice that the families make.'

The president's spokesman said he also talked to the widow's children yesterday.

'They were happy. They're running around - I don't know that they full appreciate the sacrifice that their father had made.'

Trump and his White House have been declaring the raid that took down Owens a 'success,' although the military has yet to reveal information that it might have recovered and it reportedly failed to capture an intended top Yemeni Al Qaeda terror target.

'I just spoke to General Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, "Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies," the president said Wednesday.

Senator John McCain, himself a Navy veteran, challenged Trump on that assessment earlier this month, noting the loss of a SEAL and of a multimillion dollar aircraft.

The eight-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki was also killed - she was also an American citizen, because of her father, the notorious American-born preacher of hate being one.

Ovation: As the applause for her and her husband's memory went on, Carryn Owens rose to her feet and applauded too

Tearful: Owens couldn't break her sobs as Ivanka smiled to hear her father declare the standing ovation 'record breaking'

Big moment: Owens was one of several special guests invited to the address by the First Family but her recognition was most prominent

Emotion: Carryn Owens' tears ran freely as Congress, led by the president, saluted the sacrifice he made

Bravery: 'We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William 'Ryan' Owens,' the president said

Owens wiped away tears as the lengthy ovation for her and the memory of her husband went on

Trump earlier told Fox News, again quoting Mattis, that 'it was a very successful mission. They got tremendous amounts of information.'

An unnamed senior U.S. official told ABC news 'valuable' information was gained during the raid.

U.S. officials told NBC News on Monday that the raid 'has so far yielded no significant intelligence.'

Senior unnamed officials countered the Pentagon's claims that it had resulted in 'actionable intelligence' – information that could lead to the apprehension of other terrorists or new avenues to pursue.

The network also reported that the only example of useful information gleaned provided by the military turned out to be an old bomb-making video that wasn't useful.

Operation: 'Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom - we will never forget Ryan,' the president said.

Contrast' William Owens spoke out against the president over his son's death, saying that he did not want to meet him when his son's body was brought back to the U.S. Trump said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had assured him that the raid on the Yemeni target was a success

Aftermath: The SEAL raid which led to Chief Owens' death saw a helicopter suffer a hard landing. It was destroyed by an airstrike to prevent it falling into enemy hands.

Bill Owens was even more critical.

'Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn't even barely a week into [President Trump's] administration?' Bill Owens told the Herald. 'For two years prior ... everything was missiles and drones ...Now all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?'

The raid resulted in the wounding of six U.S. service members, the death of at least 25 civilians. Nine children under 13 years old were killed, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Among them was the eight-year old daughter of slain al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Both were U.S. citizens.

'When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost … I don't believe you can call it a success,' McCain told NBC News.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer responded that, 'anyone who undermines the success of that raid owes an apology and [does] a disservice.'