US Women's Hockey Team Declines Trump's State of the Union Invite

Scheduling conflicts prevent gold medal-winning squad from attending

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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The U.S. women's hockey team that won the gold medal at the recent Olympics has politely declined an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday. The team cited previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games as the reason they are unable to participate.

Why it matters

The women's hockey team's decision to decline the White House invitation highlights the challenges of coordinating schedules for high-profile athletes, especially after major international competitions. It also reflects the ongoing political tensions between the Trump administration and some professional sports teams.

The details

The U.S. women's hockey team won the gold medal in a thrilling overtime victory against Canada. When extending the invitation to the men's team, Trump said he also wanted to bring in the women's team, joking that if he didn't, "I do believe I probably would be impeached." However, the women's team said they learned of the invite late on Sunday night, making it difficult to change their travel plans, as many were not scheduled to arrive in North America until Monday evening.

  • The U.S. women's hockey team won the gold medal on Thursday, February 20, 2026.
  • The State of the Union address is scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2026.

The players

Donald Trump

The President of the United States who extended the invitation to the U.S. women's and men's hockey teams to attend the State of the Union address.

Matthew Tkachuk

A member of the U.S. men's hockey team that won the gold medal, who expressed honor at hearing from President Trump after the win and excitement to represent him and the country.

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What they’re saying

“It's been a whirlwind, it's been amazing. It's a dream of ours, it was such an amazing way to unite the country. We felt the support being across the Atlantic and now being back on home soil we could feel it the second the wheels hit the ground. So excited to be back in the greatest country in the world and so excited to celebrate.”

— Matthew Tkachuk, U.S. men's hockey team (AP)

What’s next

The U.S. women's hockey team will resume their academic and professional commitments following their gold medal win. The U.S. men's hockey team will celebrate their victory and prepare for the resumption of the NHL regular season.

The takeaway

The women's hockey team's decision to decline the White House invitation highlights the challenges of coordinating schedules for elite athletes, especially after major international competitions. It also reflects the ongoing political tensions between the Trump administration and some professional sports teams, as the women's team politely declined the invitation.