The U.S. women’s national hockey team is dodging Donald Trump’s claim that they will soon be visiting the White House.
During the president’s record-breaking 108-minute State of the Union address, he brought out the United States men’s hockey team, who captured gold for the first time since 1980 with a 2–1 victory over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The women’s team also defeated America’s northern neighbor by the same score.
“They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime as everybody saw, as did the American women, who will soon be coming to the White House,” Trump, 79, said inside the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday night.
But a spokesperson for USA Hockey didn’t exactly echo the president’s certainty.
“Players are back competing with their professional and collegiate teams and are in the midst of their season,” USA Hockey spokesperson Melissa Katz wrote in a statement to the Daily Beast.
“They’re honored and grateful to be invited and any opportunity to visit the White House as a team will be based on their schedules once their seasons conclude.”
In response to USA Hockey’s ambiguous statement, a White House spokesperson told the Daily Beast that Trump administration officials “look forward to hosting them at the White House after their tremendous victory and celebration.”
The women’s hockey team also declined to attend Trump’s address on Tuesday after he took aim at them during a congratulatory phone call with the men’s team.
“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” he told the male players after inviting them to the White House. “I think if I didn’t do that, I do believe I probably would be impeached,” he added.
Hockey-mad FBI Director Kash Patel, 45, also called Trump while celebrating with Team USA in their locker room, spluttering, “I got it, boss, I got it!” when Trump suggested the squad attend his State of the Union address. Patel was also captured on video swearing and drinking with the team.
For their part, the women’s national hockey team declined their invitation to Trump’s speech due to “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games.”
During his address, Trump enthusiastically lavished the men’s hockey team with praise for more than six minutes—so much so that he appeared to briefly blow out his microphone while shouting their introduction roughly 12 minutes into his address.
“The state of our union is strong. Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, ‘Please, please, please, Mr. President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore,’” he said.
“And I say, ‘No, no, no, you’re going to win again. You’re going to win big. You’re going to win bigger than ever,” Trump continued, his voice rising steadily as he worked up to his bombastic introduction. “And to prove that point, here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud: the men‘s gold medal Olympic hockey team. Come on in.”
Additionally, the president said he would award goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“I’ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor Hellebuyck,” he said. “Think of it. 46 shots on the goal.”
Hellebuyck, in fact, stopped 41 shots, not 46.
