The United States women's hockey team declines invite from president Donald Trump to White House, one that followed a video of him joking about having to invite them.
Team USA women’s hockey team had one of the more dominant runs in the 2026 Winter Olympics that culminated in a gold medal with a 2-1 overtime victory over rival Canada. It was a win that seemed to quickly get overshadowed by the men’s hockey team victory, who also won Olympic gold with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada. Sure, they had a 46-year drought that deserved celebrating. But that celebration won’t include the women’s team, at least at the State of the Union address. The U.S. women declined the invite from president Donald Trump to visit the address this week. The team cited academic and professional commitments with scheduling presenting a challenge.
"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 U.S. women's team said in a statement released Monday. "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."
However, it’s fair to wonder whether a video that circulated of FBI Director Kash Patel in the USA men’s locker room following their victory played a role in their decision. The Director called the President, during which he invited the men to the State of the Union. He begrudgingly added that they’d have to invite the women’s team, otherwise he’d “probably be impeached.” It was just a tasteless joke that was, at best, diminishing and dismissing of the women’s equally valuable Olympic gold win, and one that didn’t go over too well on social media.
Here is the full story from Women’s Hockey Roundtable writer Ian Kennedy on the women’s decision to sit it out.
Regardless of the intent of the joke, the reaction from a group of guys who fairly, may have wanted to just celebrate and were in that mode, and the seriousness of the comment, it’s done its damage in the form of overshadowing the women’s accomplishments. Those deserve to be independently celebrated.