Hockey has been the talk of the two here in the good ol' USA in recent times, as both the men’s and women’s Olympic teams took the gold in overtime spectaculars. Adding to the fun is that both victories were against our longtime rink rival, Canada.
Canada hates us today. Just sayin’.
But while the overtly patriotic men’s team enthusiastically accepted President Donald Trump's invitation to the White House, the women’s team declined on Monday, citing “the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”
If there were ever a less convincing excuse, I’m not aware of it.
NOT MAKING IT: The gold medal-winning U.S. women's hockey team turned down a White House invitation to attend the State of the Union, citing "previously scheduled academic and professional commitments."
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 23, 2026
In a statement, USA Hockey said the athletes were "honored to be included… pic.twitter.com/TUOXFF8mG6
In a statement, USA Hockey said the athletes were "honored to be included and grateful for the acknowledgment."
Just not grateful enough to actually attend.
GOING FOR THE GOLD: Trump Has Epic Phone Call With US Olympic Hockey Team, Patel on Hand As He Invites Them to SOTU
THE ESSEX FILES: Kash Patel’s Hockey Locker Room Moment Says More About His Critics Than About Him
Although rejecting White House invitations for political reasons has sadly become a regular occurrence, this one was at least in part sparked by a throwaway comment during Trump's phone call with the men's team that some found demeaning:
TRUMP: What would really be cool, and we'll do the White House the next day, we'll just have some fun. We have medals for you guys. And we have to, I must tell you, I have to bring the [gold-medal winning] women's team, you do know that... I do believe I would probably be impeached [if I didn't invite them].
Novelist Lexi LaFleur Brown, who writes hockey-themed romantic comedies (I admit, I didn't know that was a thing), was triggered:
You can make history, can represent ur country at the highest level, can inspire a nation of girls to dream, & they will still laugh in ur face. Every woman knows this feeling & it’s why we persist. Keep laughing while women’s hockey is one of the fastest-growing sports globally.
— Lexi LaFleur Brown (@lexilafleur) February 23, 2026
To be fair, the women did play spectacularly and should be honored:
🚨The Olympic crowd goes absolutely BERSERK when the U.S. women’s hockey team scores a goal in overtime, BEATING Canada and winning the Olympic gold medal, 2-1.
— DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 (@1Nicdar) February 19, 2026
This is one of the BIGGEST rivalries on the planet.
CONGRATS, Team USA! 🇺🇸🥇
pic.twitter.com/Z42cwg5fQz
That being said, it’s unfortunate that an offhand joke, whether you consider it to be somewhat demeaning or not, would ruin what would otherwise be an epic moment for the country and for the sport of hockey. One can’t help but wonder if they would have found another reason not to attend had it not happened.
It’s not like they were ignored by members of the Trump administration:
.@VP, the Second Family, and @SecRubio lead the U.S. delegation in Milan, cheering the @TeamUSA women's hockey team to a 5-1 victory over Czechia in the opening round 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nv2XFWDrVm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 5, 2026
Not surprisingly, there were plenty of negative reactions on social media:
'If the PRESIDENT personnely invite's (sic) you to the STATE OF THE UNION then guess what??? YOU GO,' one fan wrote on X.
'If you're grateful like you say you are than YOU GO. I will never watch any of these so called player's (sic) ever again after how badly they have treated President Trump. I won't forget.'
Another commented: 'The men all have NHL squads to return to, and they're attending. USA hockey should just say "the women are disappointed in the President's behaviour and have no interest in meeting him." Be as honest to him as he is to everyone else.'
A different fan added: 'How many times do these women think they will receive a presidential invitation to attend a SOTU address? Regrettable decision.'
I applaud the women’s team’s victory; they deserve their gold medals. I can only speak for myself, however, when I say that if I were on a championship team, I would immediately say yes to a White House invitation, regardless of who was president. I’d even suck it up and attend if Joe Biden were commander in chief, despite the fact that I despise his far-left policies.
Sometimes, it’s about something bigger than just you.
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