Did Trump’s locker room joke spark a snub? US women’s ice hockey team declines State of the Union invite as his banter with men’s team goes viral; watch here

After winning the 2026 Winter Olympics gold medal following their historic victory over Canada, the US women's hockey team has declined an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday (February 24, 2026).

In a statement released on Monday (February 23, 2026), the US women's team said, “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,” as quoted by news agency AP.

Trump also extended the invitation to the U.S. men's gold medal-winning team. The Winter Olympics 2026 featured two thrilling medal finals, both ending in overtime, with the American women beating Canada 2-1 in the gold medal game on Thursday. The U.S. men beat Canada on Sunday.

Trump’s joke on Women’s Ice Hockey team

The US president also extended the invitation to the US men's gold medal-winning team. When extending the invitation to the men’s team over the phone on Sunday night (February 22, 2026), Trump said, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team; you do know that."

Trump joked that if he did not also invite the women’s team, “I do believe I probably would be impeached. " The video of his interaction with the men’s team was caught on camera and was shared on social media.


Watch Viral Video Here

Did Trump's viral video with the men's team lead to invitation decline?

There were no reports confirming that Trump’s light-hearted banter with the men’s team led to the women’s team declining the invitation. The White House had not issued any statement clarifying the status of both teams at the time of filing this report.

Citing timing and a predetermined schedule, the women’s ice hockey team said, “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,” as quoted by AP.

NHL schedule and logistics pose a challenge

Scheduling will be a challenge as the NHL regular season resumes with five games on Wednesday and the PWHL resumes on Thursday.

Logistics played a role in the decision, as many of the women players were not scheduled to arrive in North America until Monday evening. The men’s team flew by charter to Miami earlier Monday. The women took a commercial flight and were scheduled to land in Atlanta.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the women’s players didn’t learn of the invite until late Sunday night, making it difficult to change their travel plans. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the team's travel plans.