The U.S. women’s hockey team declined Donald Trump’s State of the Union invitation, citing scheduling conflicts after their Olympic gold-medal win.
The United States women’s national ice hockey team has declined an invitation from Donald Trump to attend his State of the Union address, citing scheduling conflicts following their gold-medal victory at the Winter Olympics. A spokesperson said the athletes were unable to participate due to previously arranged academic and professional commitments and late notice of the invitation.
The development came after a viral video showed Trump telling the United States men’s national ice hockey team he would need to invite the women’s team as well. The women defeated Canada 2–1 in overtime to win gold, while the men also beat Canada to secure their first Olympic hockey gold since 1980, as attention also turned to criticism surrounding Kash Patel following his appearance during the men’s team’s locker-room celebration.