US women's hockey responds after Trump's White House visit comment during SOTU address: 'Honored and grateful'

The United States women’s crystal hockey squad has responded to President Donald Trump’s connection during his State of the Union code connected Tuesday night, wherever helium said the squad would "soon" beryllium heading to the White House to observe their gold-medal triumph astatine the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. 

"They bushed a fantastic Canadian squad successful overtime arsenic everybody saw, arsenic did the American women who volition soon beryllium coming to the White House," Trump said arsenic the men’s hockey squad was being saluted by everyone wrong the House enclosure during the address. 

USA Hockey has responded to Trump’s denotation that the squad would beryllium going to the White House. 

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President Donald Trump said the US women's crystal hockey squad volition 'soon' beryllium heading to the White House to observe their golden medal triumph successful Milan.  (GETTY)

"Players are backmost competing with their nonrecreational and collegiate teams and are successful the midst of their season," a USA Hockey spokesperson told Front Office Sports. "They’re honored and grateful to beryllium invited and immoderate accidental to sojourn the White House arsenic a squad volition beryllium based connected their schedules erstwhile their seasons conclude."

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) returns to play connected Thursday.

USA Hockey and the White House person not instantly responded to a petition for remark by Fox News Digital. 

The women’s squad declined Trump’s invitation to be his State of the Union code connected Tuesday nighttime successful Washington, D.C., citing "previously scheduled world and nonrecreational commitments."

"We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our golden medal-winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and profoundly admit the designation of their bonzer achievement," USA Hockey told NBC News earlier this week. "Due to the timing and antecedently scheduled world and nonrecreational commitments pursuing the Games, the athletes are incapable to participate.

"They were honored to beryllium included and are grateful for the acknowledgment."

Trump received disapproval for what immoderate viewed arsenic disrespect toward the women’s squad portion connected a telephone telephone with the men’s squad aft their overtime triumph over Canada on Sunday. While Jack Hughes rapidly became an American leader with his gold-medal-winning goal, Megan Keller did the aforesaid happening successful overtime 3 days earlier his to decision Canada successful their matchup.

During the viral clip of Trump’s telephone telephone to the men’s team, helium said that helium would "have" to invitation the women’s squad to the State of the Union, too, otherwise, "I astir apt would beryllium impeached."

United States' Grace Zumwinkle, left, and Taylor Heise observe aft the triumph ceremonial for women's crystal hockey astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.  (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

While contention stirred connected societal media astir the moment, Hughes’ mother, Ellen Hughes, who serves arsenic a subordinate improvement advisor for Team USA women’s crystal hockey, explained she was not bothered by Trump’s comments. 

"These players, some the men and women, tin bring truthful overmuch unity to a radical and to a country," she told "Today." "People that cheered connected that don’t ticker hockey, radical that person authorities connected 1 broadside oregon connected the different side, and that’s each some the men’s squad and the women’s squad attraction about."

"If you could spot what we spot from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the mode the women cheered connected the men and the mode the men cheered connected the women — that’s what it’s each about," she continued. "And the different things they cannot control. They attraction astir humanity. They attraction astir unity, and they attraction astir the country."

And portion immoderate were displeased by the men’s squad laughing astatine Trump’s gag connected the call, Quinn Hughes, the member of Jack and leader successful the quarterfinal overtime triumph with his extremity implicit Sweden, explained however "amazing" it was to walk clip with the women’s squad passim the weeks successful Milan. 

Laila Edwards (10) of the United States and Megan Keller (5) of the United States observe aft winning the golden medal successful women's crystal hockey aft defeating Canada during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena connected Feb. 19, 2026. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)

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They were successful attendance, arsenic good arsenic different men’s hockey players, to ticker arsenic the women’s squad took location gold. 

"Me and Jack were there, we watched them triumph the golden medal," Quinn said. "They came to our crippled and were capable to ticker us. So, conscionable the enactment backmost and forth, conscionable to get to cognize them a small amended was special, too."

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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