Winter Olympics 2026: Team USA women’s hockey declines President Donald Trump’s invite to State of the Union

Workforce USA’s girls’s hockey group was requested to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union tackle, however declined that invite Monday.

In an announcement, a USA hockey spokesperson mentioned the group was grateful for the invite, however had “beforehand scheduled educational {and professional} commitments,” per NBC Information.

“We’re sincerely grateful for the invitation prolonged to our gold medal–profitable U.S. Girls’s Hockey Workforce and deeply respect the popularity of their extraordinary achievement,” a USA Hockey spokesperson mentioned. “As a result of timing and beforehand scheduled educational {and professional} commitments following the Video games, the athletes are unable to take part.”

“They have been honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment,” the spokesperson added.

Trump drew some criticism Sunday after video emerged of him congratulating the boys’s hockey group for additionally profitable the gold medal on the 2026 Olympics. Towards the top of the decision, Trump laughed as he advised gamers, “We will should convey the ladies’s group, you do know that. I do imagine I most likely could be impeached.” That remark drew laughs from gamers within the locker room.

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FBI director Kash Patel additionally drew criticism for flying to Italy and celebrating with the boys’s hockey group. He was the one who referred to as Trump following Workforce USA’s win.

Whereas Trump chuckled in regards to the suggestion on the telephone, the invite was in the end prolonged to the ladies’s group. And the ladies’s group opted to say no.

The ladies took dwelling the gold medal Saturday, defeating Canada in additional time 2-1. The ladies’s group trailed late within the contest earlier than Hilary Knight deflected the puck into the purpose with roughly two minutes to play. Megan Keller then pulled off an amazing transfer on a defender earlier than scoring the game-winning purpose in additional time to offer Workforce USA the win. It wound up being the most-watched girls’s hockey sport of all time.

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A day later, the boys defeated Canada in additional time 2-1 in eerily related vogue. With the competition tied 1-1, Jack Hughes scored in additional time to offer the boys the walk-off, gold-medal win. It marked the primary time for the reason that “Miracle on Ice” sport that the boys’s group took dwelling gold in hockey on the Olympics.