Trump says gold medal women’s hockey team will ‘soon’ visit White House
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President Donald Trump said in his State of the Union address that he would be heading to the White House “soon” to celebrate the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s ice hockey team’s victory in Milan.
As the men’s hockey team was greeted by everyone in the House chamber during the State of the Union address, Trump said, “As everyone saw, they beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, and they also beat the American women who will soon be coming to the White House.” he said.
It is unknown whether the women’s hockey team accepted the invitation to the White House.
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Gold medalist Team United States poses after the Women’s Ice Hockey medal ceremony after the Women’s Gold Medal match between the United States and Canada on day 13 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games in Milan, Italy, on February 19, 2026 at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
USA Hockey and the White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The women’s team declined an invitation to attend Trump’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night, citing “pre-planned academic and professional commitments.”
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning USA Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their outstanding achievements,” USA Hockey said. he said. NBC News. “Due to timing and previously planned academic and professional commitments following the Games, athletes are unable to participate.
“They were honored to participate and grateful for the thanks.”
Trump drew criticism for what some saw as disrespectful behavior toward the women’s team during a phone call with the men’s team following Sunday’s overtime victory over Canada. Jack Hughes quickly became an American hero with his gold medal-winning goal, while Megan Keller did the same in overtime three days earlier to beat Canada in the matchup.
In the viral clip of Trump’s phone call with the men’s team, he said he would “have to” invite the women’s team to the State of the Union as well, otherwise “I’ll probably be removed from office.”
Meanwhile, while discussions were raging on social media, Hughes’ mother, Ellen Hughes, who served as Team USA women’s ice hockey player development consultant, stated that she was not disturbed by Trump’s comments.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, USA on February 24, 2026. (REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE)
“These players, both male and female, can bring a lot of unity to a group and a country.” “Today,” he said. “The people cheering for this don’t watch hockey, they’re people with politics on one side or the other, and that’s all the men’s team and women’s team care about.”
“If you could see what we see from the inside, you know, dorm rooms, hallways, men and women sharing flexible floors, camaraderie and synergy, the way women cheer on men and the way men cheer on women — that’s what it’s all about,” he continued. “And other things they can’t control. They care about humanity. They care about unity and they care about the country.”
While some were unhappy that the men’s team laughed at Trump’s joke, Quinn Hughes, brother of Jack and the hero of the quarter-final extra-time victory over Sweden when he scored, revealed how “amazing” it was to spend weeks with the women’s team in Milan.
They were there, along with other men’s hockey players, to watch the women’s team take home the gold medal.
Grace Zumwinkle (L) and Taylor Heise of the United States celebrate after the women’s ice hockey victory ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, February 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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“Me and Jack were there, we watched them win the gold medal,” Quinn said. “They came to our game and were able to watch us play, so the back-and-forth support to get to know them a little better was also special.”
During his speech, Trump also announced that men’s hockey goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who had to work overtime with a 41-save performance to give Hughes his golden opportunity, would receive the Medal of Freedom, the US civilian honor, for his efforts in the game. Trump said earlier Tuesday that he consulted with the team during their stay in the Oval Office.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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