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The Team USA men's hockey team at President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026
Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- The Team USA men's hockey team watched Donald Trump deliver his State of the Union address on Feb. 24 after receiving a personal invite from the president at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- The national women's hockey team, who also won a gold medal at the Olympics, opted out of attending his speech
- During his address, Trump teased that the women's team would be visiting the White House soon to celebrate their victory, though no further details were provided
Team USA's men's hockey team descended on Washington, D.C., to attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address after winning gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the athletes were guests of honor to watch the 79-year-old president speak at the U.S. Capitol. They received an invitation after winning their gold medal match against Team Canada at the Games on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Offering a shoutout to the men's team, Trump called the athletes "a group of winners who have made our nation proud," leading the crowd to chant, "USA."
Trump then shared that the U.S. women's hockey team, who declined to attend the State of the Union address, would soon be visiting the White House to celebrate their own gold medal victory at the Olympic Games.
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Team USA's men's hockey team pose with their gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Credit: Jiang Qiming/China News Service/VCG via Getty
The men's team visited Washington, D.C., on Tuesday after being invited by Trump, 79, who called them in the locker room while the athletes were celebrating their win.
Trump described their overtime victory against Canada, which secured the men's team their first Olympic gold since 1980, as “unbelievable," according to video footage of the call.
“I’ll tell you what — I just told my people two minutes ago, I said, we’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,” Trump continued. “We could send a military plane or something. But if you would like to [attend], it’s the coolest night."
He added that they could also visit him in the White House, saying, "We’ll just have some fun. We have medals for you guys." The men's team took him up on his offer, visiting the Oval Office before the congressional address on Tuesday.
The president added during his locker-room call that he was "going to have to bring the women's team" to D.C., too, saying with a laugh, "You do know that. I do believe I'd probably would be impeached [if the women's team wasn't invited]."
The comment was perceived by some as a backhanded comment toward the women's team, who also won a gold medal in their game against Team Canada on Thursday, Feb. 19. It marked the first time that the American women's team had won gold since 2018.
According to USA Hockey, the women's team has won three gold medals, including one at the 1998 Nagano Games, which was the first time women's hockey was represented at the Olympics. They won silver medals in 2022, 2014, 2010 and 2002 and took home bronze in 2006.
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Team USA's women's hockey team wins the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty
The men's team has three gold medals, including wins in 1960, 1980 and 2026, per USA Hockey, and the team has competed in the Olympics since 1920. The team also has eight silver medals and one bronze. Prior to 2026, their most recent medal was a silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
After receiving the secondhand invitation to the State of the Union, the women's team declined the offer in a statement shared with NBC News on Monday, Feb. 23.
"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 spokesperson for USA Hockey said. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate."
The spokesperson added that the teammates "were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment."
The White House did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the team's decision. PEOPLE reached out to the women's hockey team for more information about their possible White House visit in the future.
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Jack and Quinn Hughes, from left, celebrate their gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Credit: Elsa/Getty
Speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of the State of the Union, Team USA star player Jack Hughes said the team was "excited" about the opportunity.
"Everything is so political. We're athletes. We're so proud to represent the U.S., and we get the chance to go to the White House, meet the president. You know, we're proud to be Americans," he said, adding, "No matter what your views are, we're super excited to go."
Hughes, who scored the final goal in the big game and played alongside his brother, Quinn Hughes, said that the team had received "backlash for all the social media stuff today."
"People are so negative out there and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing," he said.
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Team USA women's hockey star Megan Keller at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty
On the topic of the women's team, Jack acknowledged that they had "busy schedules" and made it clear that the men's team and women's team were in support of one another.
"I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them and how proud we are of them," he said of the women's team. "And we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us."
Speaking with Good Morning America on Tuesday ahead of the State of the Union, Quinn also stressed that the team was "really happy" for the women's team.
Multiple members of Team USA made political comments during the 2026 Games in Italy, and some of them attracted the ire of Trump and other conservatives.
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Hunter Hess at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty
The president dubbed Olympic skier Hunter Hess "a real loser" in a post on Truth Social after the athlete said that he had "mixed emotions" about representing the United States in the midst of the current political climate.
“It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t,” he said during a Feb. 6 press conference. “I think for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home… all the things that I believe are good about the United States.”
In response, Trump wrote that Hess "shouldn’t have tried out for the Team," adding, "And it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this."
Hess addressed the situation while speaking to the press after making his Olympic debut on Friday, Feb. 20. He described his experience at the Games as "probably the hardest two weeks of [his] life," according to The Athletic.
“I’ve never been subject to that type of criticism before," he said, though he stressed that he ultimately decided not to let his experience representing Team USA be ruined by "controversy like that."
"I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough," Hess said. "My original statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently some people didn't take it that way. I'm so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA."
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Amber Glenn at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Credit: Joe Scarnici/Getty
Gold medalist Amber Glenn, who became the first openly queer woman on Team USA's figure skating team, said that she received "a scary amount of hate/threats" after answering political questions while at the Games.
She said that she was "disappointed" by the response and announced plans to take a step back from social media in a statement on her Instagram Stories on Feb. 7.
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Vice President JD Vance notably attended the Opening Ceremony of the Games with second lady Usha Vance. While there, the couple was audibly booed by other attendees.
The 41-year-old vice president addressed athletes making political statements during an interview segment that was shared on X by CNN reporter Kit Maher.
“My advice to [athletes who pop off about politics] would be to try to bring the country together, and when you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans,” he said in the clip. “You’re there to play a sport, and you’re there to represent your country and hopefully win a medal. You’re not there to pop off about politics.”
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