Trump Mentions Team USA Women’s Hockey in State of the Union Address
President Donald Trump mentioned the U.S. women’s hockey team during his 2026 State of the Union address after they declined the invitation from the White House.
While Trump, 79, spoke about the numerous accomplishments of the United States during his speech on Tuesday, February 24, he honored the Team USA men’s hockey team, praising them for making “the entire nation proud.”
Following a rousing series of “USA!” cheers and a standing ovation, Trump highlighted that the team “defeated a strong Canadian team in overtime” at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy, “just like the American women did.”
He went on to mention that the women’s team, which was not present at the event, “will be visiting the White House soon.”
Shifting his focus back to the men’s team, Trump revealed that after polling the players, he would be awarding goalie Connor Hellebuyck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Hellebuyck, 32, made 41 saves in Team USA’s decisive victory against Canada, which included a critical stick save in the third period and a secondary assist on the winning goal.)
“I did take a vote … and every single one of them quickly raised their hands,” Trump remarked. “What an exceptional job you’ve done, you are true champions.”
The Team USA women’s hockey team opted to forgo the Tuesday night address after clinching gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“We are genuinely thankful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and sincerely appreciate the acknowledgment of their remarkable achievement,” USA Hockey stated in a message to NBC News on Monday, February 23. “They felt honored to be included and are truly grateful for the recognition.”
USA Hockey mentioned that the players could not attend “due to timing conflicts and prior academic and professional obligations.”
The women’s team received the invitation to the State of the Union just the night before, on Sunday, February 22, which a source told the Associated Press, made it “challenging to modify their travel arrangements.”
Trump’s address was attended by members of Team USA’s men’s hockey team, who also brought home gold at the 2026 Olympics, including Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk, and Brady Tkachuk.
The attendance of some of the men’s players was noted shortly after Trump made a comment about the women’s team during a celebratory call following the men’s victory over Team Canada on Sunday, February 22.
“We have medals for you guys. I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” Trump remarked, prompting laughter from the players gathered around a phone held by FBI director Kash Patel.
Trump added that he would “probably be impeached” if he failed to invite the women’s team.
In an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday, Quinn, 26, expressed his excitement about attending the State of the Union address.
“It’s going to be special for us,” Quinn shared.
The Minnesota Wild star noted that he and his teammates were “extremely happy” for the American women’s triumph.
“There’s a lot happening on social media right now regarding our team and their team,” Quinn continued. “Over the past summers, we trained alongside them and got to know them very well.”
Quinn’s younger brother, Jack, 24, commented on the ongoing controversies surrounding the Team USA hockey teams before a visit to E11VEN nightclub in Miami on Monday night.
“We’re receiving backlash for all the social media coverage today,” Jack stated to the Daily Mail, specifically referencing the players’ reactions to Trump’s comments about the women’s team.
Hughes concluded, “People are so negative out there and are just looking for reasons to criticize and make something out of almost nothing… I believe everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them, and we understand that the feelings are mutual.”
