Washington D.C. – The U.S. Women’s national hockey team has declined an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend his State of the Union address on .
The decision, announced Monday, comes just days after the team secured a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime. A team statement cited previously scheduled academic and professional commitments as the reason for their inability to attend the address.
“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,” the statement read. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
President Trump had also extended an invitation to the U.S. Men’s hockey team, who also won gold in Milan. Both teams arrived in Miami on Monday, February 23rd, with the men’s team traveling by charter and the women’s team on a commercial flight scheduled to land in Atlanta. Logistical challenges, including the late notice of the invitation – reportedly received by the women’s team late Sunday night – contributed to the difficulty of altering travel plans.
The White House has not yet commented on the status of the men’s team’s attendance.
The invitation from President Trump followed a somewhat unusual exchange. During a phone call with the men’s team, broadcast on social media, Trump stated, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.” He then jokingly added that he would “probably be impeached” if he failed to invite the women’s team as well.
The decision by the women’s team to decline the invitation follows a pattern of athletes expressing reluctance to align themselves with the Trump administration. The context surrounding this decision extends beyond the sporting arena, however, and touches upon broader social and political currents within the United States.
Several members of the U.S. Women’s hockey team have publicly voiced concerns regarding recent events in Minnesota, specifically the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both killed by law enforcement officials in January. Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, while Pretti was killed by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during protests against immigration policies. These incidents sparked widespread demonstrations and calls for accountability.
Prior to the Olympic Games, players like Lee Stecklein, Taylor Heise, and Kelly Pannek spoke out about the importance of using their platform to highlight these issues. Stecklein emphasized the global attention focused on the Games as an opportunity to “represent” and shed light on events unfolding in the United States. Heise and Pannek criticized the administration’s immigration policies as “unnecessary, and horrible.”
The recent withdrawal of ICE and CBP troops from Minneapolis and Saint Paul, announced by the White House, may be seen as a response to the growing pressure and public outcry following these incidents.
The U.S. Women’s hockey team’s gold medal victory in Milan marked their third Olympic title, with previous wins coming in 1998 and 2018. Their consistent success on the international stage underscores their dominance in the sport. The U.S. Men’s team’s victory ended a 46-year drought for American men’s hockey at the Winter Olympics.
The President celebrated the men’s team’s win with a post on social media featuring an image of a bald eagle attacking a Canadian goose, responding to a previous message from former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The post alluded to the ongoing sporting rivalry between the two nations.
