The US women’s hockey team formally declined President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend the 2026 State of the Union address. The team brought home their first Olympic gold since 2018, beating Canada in a 2-1 game on Tuesday, citing academic and professional commitments as the reason for declining the invitation.
Players express gratitude for recognition
The announcement came on Monday, with NBC reporting a statement from the players, "We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning US Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement."
Also Read | President Trump's State of the Union 2026: When, where and how to watch live
US men’s hockey team celebrates gold
Meanwhile, the US men’s hockey team visited the White House on Tuesday. On Sunday, the team made history with a 2-1 overtime victory against Canada at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, winning Gold Medals as well.
While Canada had been a dominant team in hockey, the New Jersey Devils player Jack Hughes scored the winning goal, securing the United States its first men’s hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice team. The men’s team is expected to attend the State of the Union address alongside Trump.
Trump jokes with men’s team
Earlier in a video that was shared online, Trump can be heard having a conversation with the Men's hockey team on a phone call. During which the President invited the men's team to the annual address, and he went on saying, "We’re gonna have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?" "I do believe I would probably be impeached, OK?" said the President.
Trump’s State of the Union
The timing of the invite comes as Trump prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address of this term at the US Capitol. The address will begin at 9 PM ET (7:30 AM IST on 25 February) and is expected to run nearly two hours, focusing on border security, healthcare, tariffs, foreign policy and more before a combined house of Congress.
Also Read | How long will Donald Trump's State of the Union address be? Here's what history tells us
The 2026 State of the Union will be attended by the members of Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, leaders of the armed forces and some of the selected guests. Major cable and broadcast channels will be airing the President's address. The official YouTube channel of the White House will also live-stream the State of the Union.
