Team USA’s dramatic 2-1 gold medal win over Canada, their first Olympic title in 46 years, should have been the main story. Instead, the spotlight quickly shifted after President Donald Trump’s comments about inviting the women’s hockey team to the White House went viral.
What began as a congratulatory call to the men’s team has become a political flashpoint, and one Team USA star is choosing not to fuel the controversy.
Donald Trump’s White House Invite Controversy
Following the gold medal win, President Trump congratulated the U.S. men’s hockey team during a locker-room call. He invited the players to attend the State of the Union address and offered them a tour of the White House.
During the call, Trump also referenced the U.S. women’s hockey team, which had just captured their own Olympic gold medal after an overtime thriller against Canada.
“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team. You do know that?” Trump said, drawing laughter from inside the locker room. “I do believe I probably would be impeached,” he added, suggesting he would face backlash if he failed to invite the women’s team as well.
The remark quickly went viral. Critics, including members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, labeled the comment dismissive and demeaning. Social media erupted, with debate overshadowing what had been a historic Olympic celebration.
Amid the noise, Team USA forward Kyle Connor was asked about the President’s comment. “I don’t really have any thoughts on that,” Connor said. “There’s so many things happening. We just won the gold medal and things are going on so I don’t really remember what he said. It’s such a whirlwind, just celebrating.”
His response was measured, seemingly intent on keeping politics separate from their Olympic triumph.
While the men accepted the White House invitation, the U.S. women’s hockey team politely declined to attend the State of the Union address. A USA Hockey spokesperson cited “timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments” as the official reason.
Team USA’s Hughes Brothers Push Back on Trump’s Backlash
The controversy also drew comments from the Hughes brothers, who addressed the social media reaction surrounding the situation.
Jack Hughes expressed frustration with the negativity online. “Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today. People are so negative out there, and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Quinn Hughes emphasized the strong bond between the men’s and women’s programs. “There’s a lot of social media activity right now about our team and theirs. But in the last couple of summers, we did a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well,” Quinn said.
Despite the controversy, the men’s team attended the White House and the State of the Union address, receiving a bipartisan standing ovation.
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During the event, President Trump announced that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
