Team USA women’s hockey turned down an invitation from the White House to attend the State of the Union address — but it turns out they didn’t have much choice.
The team didn’t receive the invite until the night of Sunday, February 22, which made it “difficult to change their travel plans,” a source told the Associated Press.
USA Hockey issued a statement on Monday, February 23, confirming that the team would not be in attendance at President Trump’s State of the Union in Washington, D.C. the following day.
“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,” read the statement to NBC News. “They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
The organization acknowledged issues with “the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”
Team USA defeated Team Canada 2-1 in overtime to win the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, February 19.
Many of the players on the Team USA roster are members of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which resumes its season on Thursday, February 26.
In addition, some of the players — including star Laila Edwards — are student-athletes. Edwards, 22, is currently enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, where she plays hockey. The Badgers resume their schedule on Friday, February 27.
Team USA’s decision to skip the State of the Union came directly on the heels of Trump, 79, taking a dig at them during a celebratory phone call with the U.S. men’s hockey team after their own 2-1 overtime win against Team Canada on Sunday, earning the American men their first goal medal in 46 years.
“We have medals for you guys. I must tell you, we‘re going to have to bring the women’s team,” Trump said about an eventual celebration at the White House.
The president added that he would “probably would be impeached” if he didn’t invite the women.
Members of the men’s hockey team are expected to be in attendance at Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The NHL schedule resumes on Wednesday, February 25.
Team USA hero Jack Hughes — who scored the gold medal-clinching goal against Canada in overtime — attempted to downplay the controversy on Monday night.
“They’ve got busy schedules too,” Hughes, 24, told the Daily Mail.
Hughes addressed criticism that he and members of the men’s team laughed at President Trump’s joke about being forced to invite the women to the White House.
“Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today,” he said. “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.”
Hughes added, “People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”
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