At the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada in the final to win the gold medal. Despite the achievement, which earned them an invitation to the White House, the team declined to attend.
The women’s hockey team will not attend the White House on Tuesday for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. The decision comes just days after both the U.S. women’s and men’s teams defeated Canada in the final, securing gold medals for Team USA.
Team USA’s women’s hockey stars sparked a debate after declining President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend his State of the Union address.
While supporters praised the athletes for “standing up for themselves,” critics slammed the move as “unprofessional.” pic.twitter.com/FGvba1oaTw
— Bored Panda (@boredpanda) February 24, 2026
Megan Keller secured the win with an overtime goal for the women’s team, while the men’s team clinched its victory on a golden goal by Jack Hughes. Soon after their wins, President Donald Trump held a FaceTime call with the U.S. men’s team.
During the team’s locker room celebration, a video of the call showed Trump inviting the men’s team to the White House. He also joked that he would “have to bring the women’s team” as well, otherwise he would “probably be impeached.”
“We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know….I do believe I probably would be impeached [if I didn’t],” Trump said during the call. The comment drew criticism online, and some observers questioned the reaction of players who appeared to laugh during the exchange.
As the video circulated on social media, some users described the men’s team’s reaction as “shameful.” It remains unclear whether the U.S. women’s team declined the White House invitation due to scheduling conflicts or other reasons.
A spokesperson for the U.S. women’s hockey team released a statement via The Mirror US, thanking the White House for the invitation while confirming the team would not attend.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” the spokesperson said.
They added, “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
Meanwhile, during the FaceTime call, Trump reiterated his invitation to the men’s team. He also joked that, as president, he could ensure they would not have to worry about bad weather, as a snowstorm was affecting travel in the Northeast.
When Donald Trump hopped on a FaceTime call with the Team USA men’s hockey team right after they snagged Olympic gold (first men’s hockey gold in 46 years, no big deal), and somehow turned a victory congrats into a solid 3-minute stand-up set. The man was in full form—joking… pic.twitter.com/hp4F0Hhftk
— D Mk (@wickedsmaahht) February 23, 2026
“The nice thing about being president is I can tell you, you don’t have to worry about the weather or landing,” Trump said. He added, “We don’t care if it’s snowing or if it’s the worst blizzard; you’ll be sailing through that sucker just like you did on the ice today. We’ll do the White House the next day. We’ll just have some fun. We have medals for you guys.”
U.S. men’s coach Mike Sullivan later confirmed the call took place, saying the president spoke to the team in the locker room and congratulated them on their win. “He just spoke to the group, expressing how proud he was of the group and congratulating everybody on the win,” Sullivan said.
While the U.S. men’s Olympic team is expected to attend the event at the White House, the U.S. women’s hockey team will celebrate their Olympic victory elsewhere.
