President Donald Trump said the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team will “soon” visit the White House, despite the team declining his State of the Union invitation this week due to scheduling conflicts following their gold medal win over Canada at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.
Trump made the declaration during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, which was attended by some of the U.S. Olympic men’s team following their gold medal win over the Canadians in overtime Sunday.
“They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime as everybody saw, as did the American women, who will soon be coming to the White House,” Trump said inside the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol.
It’s unknown if the women’s hockey team accepted an invitation to the White House after declining Trump’s original invite.
The U.S. women’s team declined an invitation to Trump’s State of the Union address a day after the president jokingly told the U.S. men’s team that he would be impeached if he didn’t also invite the women’s team.
“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,” a USA Hockey spokesperson said Monday, per NBC News.
“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.”
Trump and the men’s team faced backlash after they shared a laugh over the president’s joke about the women’s team during a phone call in the locker room following their dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in Sunday’s gold medal game.
On Tuesday, brothers Quinn and Jack Hughes of the U.S. men’s team addressed the “social media” buzz surrounding the now-viral phone call during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” while also discussing their excitement to visit the White House.
“We’re excited to go. It’s not something you get to do every Tuesday,” said Quinn, a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild. “It’s going to be special for us. But I’m glad you mentioned the women’s team again, we’re extremely happy for them. Obviously, there’s a lot going on with social media right now surrounding our team and their team.
“But in the last couple of summers, we did a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well.”
Jack added the men’s team was “in the cafeteria with them until three in the morning,” hanging out in the Olympic Village after both teams secured gold.
While partying at E11even nightclub in Miami on Monday, Jack explained the “tight” bond between the men’s and women’s teams.
“After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. in the morning with them. We go from there, pack our bags and we’re on the bus. People are so negative about things,” Jack said. “I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them. The same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”
Jack and Quinn’s mom, Ellen Hughes, a player development consultant for Team USA women’s ice hockey, weighed in on the social media discourse during a Tuesday appearance on the “Today” show.
“At the end of the day, it’s just about the country…and the moment that he players these players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country,” she said. “People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all both the men’s team and the women’s team care about.
“If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that’s what it’s all about.
“And the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity they care about unity and they care about the country.”
Jack scored the game-winning goal in overtime, breaking a 46-year gold medal drought for the U.S. in men’s hockey.
The NHL resumes games Wednesday night after a 20-day break for the Winter Games, with Jack’s New Jersey Devils back in action against the Buffalo Sabres.