President Donald Trump invited the U.S. men’s hockey team—and Olympic gold medal winners—to attend the State of the Union on Tuesday, seemingly charging FBI Director Kash Patel with ensuring they make it to Washington D.C. on time.
A video posted online and shared to social media by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino features some of the phone call of Trump with the U.S. men’s hockey team shortly after their win at the Olympics.
During the phone call, made by Patel who was partying with the team in their locker room following the game, the president praised the team for their success before inviting them to the State of the Union.
“I just told my people 10 minutes ago, we’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,” Trump said, adding that he wanted to “send a military plane or something,” to pick the players up.
“If you would like to, it’s the coolest night, it’s the biggest speech,” Trump told the players, prompting a loud chorus of “yeah” and “we’re in” responses from the players.
One person then asked Trump, 79, “Can you pick us up in Miami on Tuesday morning?” to which he responded, “We’ll get Kash or we’ll get the military to get you guys over.” The team was originally scheduled to fly into New York, but their flight will now arrive in Miami due to severe weather in the northeast.
Patel then exclaimed, “Boys, we’re going to the State of the Union!”
Patel has been criticized since footage of his boozy locker room antics were posted to social media. “For the very concerned media - yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys,” Patel wrote on X in response. “Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth. 👊🏼🏒”
Trump also joked about the fact that he would have to invite the U.S. women’s hockey team, who won gold on Thursday, saying to the men’s team, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.”
“I think if I didn’t do that, I do believe I probably would be impeached,” he added. Players could be seen and heard laughing in response, including Jack Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal for the U.S. and whose mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, is a player development consultant for the women’s team.
Trump then told the players, “If you can work that out, I’d be honored to have you,” to which Patel responded, “I got it boss, I got it. I’m on it! I’m f---in’ on it!”
“You got it Kash? If Kash is doing it, I’m happy,” Trump replied. “Kash, Tuesday night. I wanna shake hands with everybody, but I gotta shake hands with that goalie,” he added, referencing Connor Hellebuyck, who was the top goaltender of the Olympics with a save percentage of 95.62 percent.
One person then tells Trump, “We’ll see you Tuesday night Mr. President,” which prompts Patel to add, “I’m driving the bus, boss.”
During the phone call, Trump also mentioned hosting the players at the White House, where he would have medals waiting for them.
“We’ll do the White House next day,” he said. “We’ll just have some fun, we have medals for you guys.”
In addition to the video of the phone call, Scavino also posted a photo of Trump on the phone, ostensibly taken during his phone call with the men’s hockey team.
“From the @White House, President @realDonaldTrump congratulates the @USAHockey Men’s Hockey team following their historic win against Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Gold Medal Game, Sunday, February 22, 2026,” Scavino wrote on X alongside the black-and-white photo.
Team coach Mike Sullivan spoke to reporters shortly after the phone call took place. According to the Detroit Free Press, Sullivan said, “The players just had the president on, I don’t know what it was, what do you call it, FaceTime, whatever, in the locker room.”
“He just spoke to the group, expressing how proud he was of the group and congratulating everybody on the win.”
It is unclear whether players will actually be able to visit D.C. or attend the State of the Union, as the Olympics interrupted the regular NHL season and players are expected to report back to their teams as soon as possible, with the first post-Olympics games taking place on Wednesday.
Team captain Auston Matthews acknowledged the uncertainty when speaking to the media about the phone call.
“For us, it’s a huge moment for the United States,” Matthews said of the team’s phone call from the president. “He called and just congratulated us. I think there’s a lot of moving parts as far as our travels back home. We’ll kind of see what happens, but obviously it’s an honor to wear this jersey and to represent the U.S.”
