President Trump Invites Gold Medal Winning US Olympic Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams to the State of the Union Address
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President Donald Trump spoke from the White House on Sunday with the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team after their dramatic 2–1 overtime victory over Canada to capture gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Lively locker-room smartphone video showed the celebrating players gathered around a phone held by Kash Patel, who connected them to Trump. The atmosphere was loose and jubilant; star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck called out, “How ya doing, Don?” while Patel balanced the call and a drink can at the same time.
Trump repeatedly praised the entire team and singled out Hellebuyck for special recognition, saying he looked forward to shaking his hand. During the call, the president invited the players to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address in Washington, saying he could arrange military transportation to bring them to the capital. The team enthusiastically accepted and asked whether pickup could be arranged from Miami on Tuesday morning.
Patel responded, “I got it, Boss… I’m on it,” adding that he was “driving the bus” to coordinate the trip.
You can hear the genuine pride in Donald Trumps voice when he called the Team USA Hockey Team pic.twitter.com/ch6GbXShwh
— Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) February 23, 2026
Trump also told the players he planned to invite the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team, noting jokingly that he would likely be impeached if he did not. The U.S. women defeated Canada 2–1 in overtime on Thursday. Trump said he intends to host both teams at a White House reception on Wednesday and present them with medals.
Senior White House official Dan Scavino Jr. later posted an official photo of Trump congratulating the men’s team following what he described as their historic Olympic win over Canada on February 22, 2026.
From the @WhiteHouse, 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… https://t.co/m6mGhKYUSj pic.twitter.com/cAgEXvg3cO
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) February 23, 2026
Despite the short notice, there may be ample seating for both teams in the House chamber Tuesday night, as numerous Democratic lawmakers have announced plans to boycott the address.
The New York Post reported that logistics could complicate the visit. Team captain Auston Matthews said the invitation was meaningful but travel plans remain uncertain due to an East Coast blizzard and the NHL schedule resuming Thursday.
“We’re all proud Americans, obviously,” Matthews said. “This is a huge moment for us. A huge moment for the United States. He called, just congratulated us.”
He added that a White House visit was possible but not yet finalized. “There are a lot of moving parts with our travel back home. We’ll see what happens,” Matthews said. “It’s an honor to wear this jersey and represent the U.S., and to come home with a gold medal means everything to the guys in this room and to the fans cheering us on.”
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