U.S. Women's Hockey Team Declines Trump's State of the Union Invite — We're Not Surprised
Social media users believe Trump's sentiments may have been the reason.
Published Feb. 25 2026, 2:37 p.m. ET
It’s tradition for a winning sports team to receive an invitation to the White House from the sitting president. The gesture is made in good faith to further congratulate teams on their accomplishments and to give athletes some face time with POTUS. However, there has been a rise in teams declining invitations — many from President Donald Trump — over the last few years.
Trump’s behavior has undoubtedly rubbed many folks the wrong way. That said, many teams have seemingly decided to steer clear of the administration. Now that the U.S. women’s hockey team reigned supreme in the Olympics, Trump switched things up by inviting them to his State of the Union address. However, the team did not appear, prompting speculation about the move. Keep reading to explore why the women’s hockey team declined and the rumors running rampant.
Why did the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team decline President Trump’s invitation?
Although some folks believe there is more to the story of the U.S. women’s hockey team declining Trump’s State of the Union invite, it appears timing was the issue. According to NBC News, the team issued a statement citing prior engagements as the reason they skipped the event.
"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," a USA Hockey spokesperson said in a statement. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate."
The spokesperson continued: "They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
Interestingly, the outlet shares that Trump has not responded to the team’s decision. However, given how vocal he is, folks expect him to possibly address the declined invitation.
Social media users believe Trump’s statements to the men’s hockey team may be why the women’s team opted out.
In a Feb. 22 post to X shared by Dan Scavino, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Personnel, Trump can be heard congratulating the men’s hockey team after their 2-1 win against the Canadian team.
After joking with the team about their performance during the match, Trump invited them to the State of the Union address.
“We’re giving the State of the Union speech Tuesday night, and I could send the military plane or something … But if you would like to, it’s the coolest night,” Trump said.
The team accepted the invite.
“And we’ll do the White House the next day,” Trump added. “ We’ll have some fun. We have medals for you guys.”
However, social media users were stunned by Trump's joke about the women’s hockey team.
"I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that," Trump said as the men laughed.
"I do believe I probably would be impeached,” he said as to why he’s inviting the women’s team.
Once social media got wind of the recording, folks proceeded to call Trump and the men’s team out for the disrespect. In fact, many people believe the video may have had a big influence on the women’s team's decision to decline Trump’s offer.
That said, the women’s team openly declining Trump’s invite without a concrete reason would generate buzz and ill treatment from some folks online. So, using the excuse of pre-planned engagements to get out of the visit would suffice.